City Commission
meei'ting summary
BY SKIP FRINK
Chonicle ( 1 ,'.nro ,dentr
Carrabelle city officials want
to make sure I'udget cuts don't
cause residents to go lhimgrv.
At the July 3 City Commis-
sion nccrling. Ci0 IiiiIionci Jim
Brown used his "comment" time
to express his concern that with
budget cuts coming from {i"C top
down, the Meals on Wh'hec pro-
giamn is in jEopaii d
Local folks most .afflctrd
are seniors, those least able to im-
prove their daily lic M.ayor Cur

ley Messer agreed, and joined
with City NM.in.igi-i John Mclnn-
is in resolving that the joint oper-
ation of this i$pgaitm, the meals
produced at thel Senior Center,
and the Food Pantry would con-
tinue somehow, in spite of state
1- IdCe .iic budget cuts.
Commissioner Richard
Sands voiced his uiih.|appinc%
with a few abusers who show up
for live food at these locations,
and who are not truly in need.
iHe said he would attempt to "do
%strn-thing about" the misuse of
local good will.
Later in the meeting. Pas-
tor Mark Collhn of First Bap-
tist Church commented on the
l-'od Pantry currently using the

Methodist lhmiiih The Pantry
is spinning nil ifrom the Frank-
lin's Promise Coalition sponsor-
ship, and is in the process of ap-
plication for 501I-C3 nonprofit
status. iHe mentioned that on the
inccling dav. 18 families were
served,
Fireworks appreciation
Mclnnis expressed thanks to
the Americaon Post 82 for
their S-1.Utt0 donation to our 4th
of July fitrwo, k.% The City tilled-
in the balance of what was said to
be a $ I 0U.t0 bill
Coast Guard rep to arrive
In a move appropriate for the
Coast Guard presence in Carra-

belle, Mclnnis noted that a sail-
or in that uniform will be added
to the Veterans Memorial soon,
meaning the city will now repre-
sent veterans of all 5 major ser-
vices: Army, Air Force, Navy,
Marines and CatI Gu.i.d, at the
site. Funds for another enhance-
ment, a bronze eagle, are current-
ly being solicited, and the 50u0
point has been reached.
Carrabelle Wharf
Ken Busen of ECT ran
down the status of the Carrabelle
Wharf project. The first concrete
"'mat" had to be cleaned up and
re-done at contractor expense

Continued on Page 6 10

PHOTO BY ANNA CARMICHAEL
Three Servicemen now a permanent part of Apalach
A crowd gathered on July 12th, in Apalachicola at Veteran's Memorial Plaza to witness the unveiling and ded-
ication of Three Servicemen, Detail. The project fulfilled a 7-year dream of Jimmy Mosconis, who is founder
and president of Three Servicemen Statue South, Inc. He was an Army staff sergeant in Vietnam in 1968-69.
For more on the dedication, see page 19.

Apalachicola officer presented Valor Award [ n

BY ANNA CARMICHAEL
Chronicle Correspondent
During the Apalachico-
la City Commission meeting on
July 8th, Officer Anthony Croom
was awarded the 2008 Valor
Award.
Mayor Van Johnson read an
anonymous e-mail that was sent
to the City of Apalachicola Po-
lice Department. The letter stated
that on June 21st a fire occurred
at 115 7th Street Officer Croom
was the first officer on the scene.
The letter said, "Officer Croom
asked if anyone was at home and
I said, 'I don't know'."
The anonymous author went
on to say, "...but the courageous

thing that the officer did...anoth-
er house that was next door to my
brother's had caught on fire also,
and people was still inside of that
house. I saw Officr Croom go
to every window beating on the
house to get that family out of
there, and then go underneath the
porch that was ablaze and boiling
with flames to open the door and
get the family, with both houses
overfilled with smoke, ...but the
part that touched me the most
was that the neighbor had just
got off work...and we all know
that the smoke alone can take
you away, but, it was just perfect
timing that the olficci came and
awoke (him). ....I want to thank

the Mavyo and the Chief of Po-
lice for that officer's heroic clTort
in s.a' ing that life. I'm very grate-
ful to have this Police depart-
ment. Thank you Greatly. Officci
Croom, You're G(ca.lv appreci-
ated."
When asked if he knew for
certain if someone was in the du-
plex, Officer Cloorm repIhed. "I
don't irailv know the man that
lives there, but I've seen him at
the same gym I use and I knew it
was possible that he was sleeping
I crawled under the front porch
that was on fire in order to gain
entrance into the (smoke filled)

Continued on Page 14 0

Charges

against

Segree

dismissed

She is former director
of Franklin County
Literacy Program
Prosecutors have dismissed
charges against the former chief
of Iinklin County's literacy pro-
gram, Bonnie Segree.
A motion filed by the U.S.
Attorney's office in Tallahassee
states, "In the interests of justice,
the govern-
ment there-I

fore moves
this Court
to dismiss
the charg-
es against
Segree in
the present
case."
Segree
was arrest-

FOR MORE INFO
* To read the
prosecutor's mo-
tion to dismiss
the charges, go to
wwwEranklin
Chronicle.net.

ed in February along with Patri-
cia Walker-McGill, the former
director of the Institute on Urban
Policy and Commerce at Flori-
da A&M. Both faced charges of
misusing money from federal ed-
ucational literacy grants to pay
for items not authorized by the
grants. McGill pleaded guilty to
8 counts of conspiracy to commit
theft from federal programs and
theft from federal programs relat-
ing to educational grants during
her trial last month. Segree was a
witness in the trial of McGill.
"Exculpatory information
pro ided by witnesses during the
course of rhe government's prep-
aration foi the trial of Segree's
co-defendant, Patricia Walker-
Mcil,. has raised questions con-
cerning the government's abili-
ty to prove Segree possessed the
intent to commit the offenses al-
leged in the Indictment."
The Franklin County Liter-
acy Program is a nonprofit orga-
nization, primarily funded by the
county, that provides educational
services to county residents with-
out charge. No county funds were
in question during this investiga-
tion; only money that came from
grant sources through FAMU are
involved.
After the arrests, the Litera-
cy Program released a statement
saying. "These allegations should
not in any way cast doubt on
the value, integrity, and purpose
of the existing Franklin County
Literacy Program or the present
staff"

PHOTO BY ANNA CARMICHAEL
Officer Anthony Croom with the award.

p ocaL 4hthPowussp OtPsae o .

- -

Page2 *Jul 18 200 A OCALY WNEDNEWL~AER he Fankin hroicl

Lighthouse vandalism is disappointing
Sonmetimes it can be so frus- Business Association's "Terrif
treating that there are people who ic Tuesday" on July 22nd at thi
are so selfish that they destroy corner of W Gulf Beach Drivi
beautiful things just for a minor and 112 Franklin Blvd, from 5R
personal gain; frustrating and 6:30. Expect a fun party! Rent
hard to fathom. al and sales units will be available
Our Lighthouse took thou- for viewing. Everyone is wel
sands of man-hours of work and come.
.cost hundreds of thousands of It's been quiet on the Is
dollars to build but was damaged land this week unless you coun
last week by vandals who were sLh M t.L a the frequent thunderstorms an(
probAbly trying to steal some rrOW, Lne SL v those 2:30 AM fireworks some
tools diat had been locked inside, body right behind our house had
In trying to get in, they yanked on By Tom Loughridge saved from tile Fourth. (I'm hav
the door until the chain that se- approved and consist of sticky ing second thoughts about thi
cures it bit into the wood and left red filters to go on your flashlight death penalty.) The days havi
a mark that probably can't be re- lense that filter out wavelengths been hot and humid, thile night:
paired. One can understand ac- of light visible to sea turtles. This not much cooler and the mos
cidental damage to new things; means that you can see what you quitoes positively voracious. l'n
thatjust becomes part of the bi- are doing but the turtles can't see all for paying taxes if they keep
ography of the item. But inten- you. The wrong kind of light the mosquito trucks spraying. It's
tional vandalism is hard to ignore along the beach may cause i tfur- nice to have the rain, though. 'FlT
or forgive. The vandals also tried tie to abandon a nesting attempt. plants are greening up and the
to get in the window and bent The filters come in three sizes and beaches are getting that washed
the bars, which Dennis Barnell are available at the Visitor's Cel- look. I hope all this warmth and
says will be strengthened to make ter at the Lighthouse, The Cham- moisture doesn't presage a ma
them more difficult to damage, ber of Commerce on Commerce jor hurricane season but as a for
Free flashlight covers St. in Apalachicola, the ANERR mer earth science and oceanogra

Ilowever, we still have our
sea turtles that nest on St. George
Island and contribute to the di-
versity and health of our wild
seas. Bruce Drye, ANERR, St.
George Volunteer Turtlers, has
announced that flashlight cov-
ers that will prevent sea turtles
nesting on the Island from being
scared or hatchlings from being
disoriented by the light, are avail-
able free at several locations on
the Island and in Apalachicola.
The covers are USFWS and FWC

Eduucationai andu environmental
Center at Scipio Creek, and at the
USFWS St. Vincent Island edu-
cational center at Scipio Creek.
By the way, there are two
more chances to learn about sea
turtles at the presentations at the
SGI Volunteer Fire Department
at 324 E. Pine St The last three
programs will begin at 2:30 PM
on July 23 and 30.
Terrific Tuesdays
Fickling & Company at One
St. George Place, will host the

I TodauI s B I

f-
ie
1C
-
e
1-

s-
t

d
-
e
e
s

1
l
P
s
eI
e

-
d

-
I

pny teacher, I get womrri with al
this energy floating around with
nowhere to go but into the weath-
er. Don't forget to pick up your
2008 Hurricane Survival Guides.
"Provide for the worst, the best
will save itself" James Howell
(1593-1666)
So, until next week, keep in
touch, keep those local events
in the public eye and may God
bless uloughudge iachsi.com
Phone (850) 927-2899.

Fri Ist Sun Mon I TuB
7/18 7/19 7/20 .7/21 7/22

86/75
Scattered
thunder-
storms pos-
sible

Sundrise:
6:50 AM
Sunset:
RAl DLI

88/74
Scattered
thunder-
storms.
Highs In the
upper 80s
and lows in
the mid 70s.

Sunrise:
6:51 AM
Sunset:
.-Q9 DUi

90/74
Scattered
thunder-
storms pos-
sible.

Sunrise:
6;51 AM
Sunset:
R'Q0 D i

89/74
Slight
chance of a
thunder-
storm.

Sunrise:
6:52 AM
Sunset
aRA DUP

89/74
Scattered
thunder-
storms pos-
sible,

Sunrise:
6:52 AM
Sunset:
A-R OMi

Florida At A Glance

90/75

92/77

86/75

Tampa
90/76

We are a bunch of trashy people

BY HARRIETT BEACH
Chrnicle' Correspmonient
You are not going to like this,
but it is a fact, we are a bunch of
trashy people here in Lanark.
We live in a throwaway so-
ciety and do we ever throw stuff
away! Our streets in Lanark are
piled with mounds of worn out
household goods, yard debris and
tucked under all of the trash is
smelly kitchen garbage and dia-
pers. Just as soon as the County
Solid Waste truck picks up a pile,
another appears in its place to
grow in size and ferment a cou-
ple a weeks while waiting for the
County to come around again to
remove it.
It is good the County picks
up the curbside piles of trash
but this good service is in dan-
ger of ending because it is putting
an extra financial burden on the
County to dispose of the mixture
of yard debris, household trash
and garbage. A pile of yard de-
bris should be just that. All vege-
tative yard debris with no house-
hold trash or garbage mixed in. A
pile of household trash should be
just that, with no garbage mixed
in. The kitchen garbage and bath-
room waste mixed in with yard
and household trash is drawing
rats and vultures as well as the

bears into Lanark
Some people are dumping
their kitchen and bathroom waste
at the recycling center I'here it
draws not only rats and vultures
but is a favorite dining place for
Bobo the Bear. The recycling cen-
ter was not meant to be a place to
dump garbage. Kitchen and bath-
room waste belong in trash cans
that are picked up by a dispos.
al service on a regular basis. The
sanitary disposal of garbage is
the personal responsibility of ev-
ery family in Lanark.
Yes, it costs money for some-
one to haul your garbage away to
the landfill, but it costs the pickup
service for gas and landfill fees. If
we cannot be responsible for the
proper disposal of trash and gar-
bage, then we may be faced with
mandatory trash pickup. Most of
the people in Lanark dispose of
their trash in a responsible way
but there are a few super trashy
people here who are trashing the
curbsides and recycling center.
Candidates visit Lanark
Chillas Hall. morning cof-
fee between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.
has been a good time to meet
and greet many of the candidates
running for office here in Frank-
lin County. The following candt-

dates have planned special days
when they will host a morning
coflec or noon lunch. Mark your
calendars for meeting and greet-
ing candidates on the following
days:
Wednesday, July 16th,
morning coffee, Ida Cooper El-
liott for Supervisor of Elections
Sunday, July 20th, noon
lunch. Will Kendrick for Superin-
tendent of Schools
Saturday. August 16th,
noon lunch, Mike Mock for Sher-
iff
Wednesday, August 20th,
breakfast. Ida Cooper Elliott for
Supervisor of Elections
Friday. August 22nd, morn-
ing coffee, Lynn White for Super-
intendent of Schools
Monday. August 25th,
morning coffee. Nina Marks for
Superintendent of Schools
Primary Flection Day will
be August 26th at Chillas Hall
for precinct six. Come meet the
candidates so you will know who
you want to vote for in the Prima-
ry. General Election will be No-
vember 4th also at Chillas Hall
for precinct six.
If you need to vote absen-
tee, contact Doris Shiver Gibbs,
Supervisor of Elections at
850 -653-9520 as soon as possible.

Agriculture award deadline is Nov. 1
Florida Agriculture Comrn- familiar with Florida agriculture. miltting nominations to the le-
missioner Charles H. Bronson The award will be presented in apartment is November 1, 2008.
has announced that nominations February at the opening-day lun- Nominations remain active for
are being accepted for the 2008 cheon of the 2009 Florida State two years; after that time they
"Woman of the Year in Agricul- Fair in Tampa. must be resubmitted in order to
ture" award. The award, now in The Florida Department of he considered.
its 24th year, recognizes women Agriculture and Consumer Ser- For more information about
who have made outstanding con- vices, which sponsors the event, the' "Woman of the Year in Agri-
tributions to Florida agriculture. has sent nomination forms to ag- culture" award call Richard Gun-
Those nominated for the ricultural organizations around nels at (850) 488-3022.
award will be judged by a panel the state. The deadline for sub-

PHOTO BY DIANtE DYAL
Chez Funk on sale at Chez Funk!
The painting above was done by local artist and The Franklin
Chronicle's graphite diesignei, Diane Beauvais Dyal. She has
been painting since 200ts and this is the first landscape paint-
ing she has done. It is 16" x 20" and was done with aci lits. It
is on sale in Apalachicola on Market Stir er. If her st % le inter-
ests you, you can contact her at dolhdollidal a comcast.net.

Sacred Heart Children's
Hospital plans preemies' reunion

Chilling all preemies! Were
you or loved one cared for in the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
(NICU) at Sacred Ileart Chil-
dren's Hospital? If so. we'd like to
hear from you!
Children's Hospital is look-
ing for all patients who "gir idu
ated" from the NICU since its
,.pt ning in 1972 for an uiip .'rini:
reunion and celebration at Sacred
SlHeart Hospital.

The 2 i's NICU Reunion
will be held on S.iil ,1 Septemii
her 2.1, Iin 10 a.mn to I p m. in
the Greenhut Auditorium at Sa-
cred Heart Hospital in ..--
la
If you or a loved one is a Sa-
cred Hleart NICU graduation.
call Cat Outzen, rm.i, rin; coor
dinator. at 'i i ,I 1 ".'

BY ANNA CARMICHAEL
Chronicle Correspondent
If yrLii v1,u ngster has not vis-
ited the Eastpoint Branch of the
Franklin County Public Library,
they are missing a lot of fun
holea ing and arts and crafts.
There is still time to get in on
all the great events that are going
on. You can pick up a calendar at
either of the library locations in
your town oi visit the website at
WwwJitialkhulti'l.us and view
the events.
Adults and children alike
have il.inIN opportunities to share
the events that are .l' lii', place.
Parents can use the coloputeWs
and surt th(lie net or use thle emnail
or check out the periodicals and
books that aie available.
Stovy Adventures, for pre
school children is on lThursdays
at It amn, I)any Ra. reads a sto-
ry and a.lir .I dai: the children en-
j,,i arts and Lt r.1ts that relate to
the ,i %r,\. This past Thursday the
story was I Lost M\I Tooth In Af-
rica, !', Penda Dli.Kitc and illus-
trated by Baba Wilwie DiaKite
The story tells of a little il who
visits Ai nt and while she is there
she looses a tooth., in learns that
in Alruca whL'en '. u loose your
tooth It is put under a decorated
g .'rd il.: the tooth tU.in to 1 ind
when she visits
On i I t.%s at 10 am- noon,
the summer r~.a..lid program is
a break from the nid..dv sun.
Both the Fastpomt and Carra-
'lle branches have the same pro-
:.I If a session is missed, the
children will be able to visit ci-
ther branch in order to keep cut-

PHOTO BY ANNA CARMICHAEL
Dany Ray helps 3 year old Alisha, daughter of Angela and
Mark Arroyle, decorate her gourd during Story Time.

rent on the reading material. This
year's participants of the SRP
have traveled, via books, gamci..
and arts and cr.if s to all seven
continents of the world.
This past Frid,iL those at-
I ending the SRP sent letters to
Ben Watkins, who has funded the
I *'.. 1 for iim.m', years. The let-
tero i.e'. a bnref sumtin.l of what
the children have learned and
they were each asked to let Wat-
kins know ec.\.cil what their fa-
vorite things about the program
are. Watkins also funds the Out-
reach Program that is at the ABC
Charter School and the Franklin
County Consolidated School.
Participants will receive an
award at the end of the Summer
IN.( I .III ; !' ri !.T in d the I'n.Ilt is

planned for the 25th at 10 o'clock
at the Carrabelle branch. If your
child can't make the finale in Car-
rabelle, the Eastpoint branch will
still have its 10 o'clock-noon ses-
sion. However, Judy Rundel, Li-
brary Director, plans to trans-
port those who have permission
to travel to Carrabelle for the Out
of This World puppet show that
is planned. The puppet show is
open to everyone, even those
who do not participate in the pro-
gram.
Carrabelle has yoga every
Monday and Thursday at 4:30 -
5:30. Story time for ages 4-10 at
that branch is on Tuesdays, from
5 p m 6 p.m. Ever\ Saturday,
the Carrabelle branch has Movies
at 10 am.

This weeks Question: Is for The Number One Question Is? V at are your qualicalions for his Offce?
I the candidates for SHERIFF How many years experience do you have or this office?
Candidates e-mail your answers o........franklincountyvoterswant2know@yahoo.com

WANT
2 KNOW
WHERE THE
CANDIDATES
STAND.
STARTING
JULY 17th
F.C.V.W.2.K
WILL BE
ASKING
ALL THE
CANDIDATES
QUESTIONS
WEEKLY, BY
E-MAIL AND
POSTING
THE ANSWERS
THE NEXT
WEEK RIGHT
HERE.

?

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

July 18, 2008 Page 3

The Franklin Chronicle

d-A'A7.;,,

L

Page 4 July 18, 2008 A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER The Franidin Chronjcle

DP D p

Random Thoughts
For a place that's so small, Franklin County sure has a lot going
on.
The Three Soldiers, Detail, was just unveiled.
The lighthouse on St. George Island is near completion.
The new clock in Carrabelle will add a bit of atmosphere as driv-
ers enter town from the west.
The Crooked River Lighthouse and that wonderful park adja-
cent to it was recently opened.
The Carrabelle Wharf continues to work toward its potential.
The purchase of the Lombardi property promises to showcase
the county seafood industry's future.

The Edttor

The Apalachicola Maritime
Museum promises to celebrate the
seafood industry's rich history.
The work at the Carrabelle
Beach park is done, restoring that
beach as a convenient destination.
I'm sure I've forgotten some-
thing, but it's impressive. It makes
me understand that people aren't
just sitting around waiting for the
economy to improve; they're do-
ing something to reverse what has
been a depressing trend.

I Segree charges
By Russell Roberts As I've said before, I'm not
a fan of publishing news stones
when someone is arrested. That's because I'm not a fan of making
someone who is innocent appear to be guilty. That's why I don't run
lists of everyone who has been arrested. Basically, it's a list of people
who are innocent until proven guilty, but will forever be remembered
for having their name in the paper as if they WERE guilty.
But occasionally, that's a rule I break when the newsworthiness
warrants it, such as if a public official is arrested.
That's why we published the news a fewv months back after the for-
mer director of the Franklin County Literacy Program was indicted
in connection with misappropriated grant funds. Now, sure enough,
the federal prosecutors who had named her in their press release a few
months have dropped the charges.
A motion filed by the U.S. Attorney's office in Tallahassee states,
"Exculpatory information provided by witnesses during the course of
the government's preparation for the trial of Scgree's co-defendant,
Patricia Walker-McGil, has raised questions concernmg the govern-
ment's ability to prove Segree possessed the intent to commit the of-
fenses alleged in the Indictment.
"In the interests of justice, the government therefore moves this
Court to dismiss the charges against Segree in the present case."
In the interests of justice, it seems like the federal prosecutors
would have made certain that they could make the charges suck before
they sent out their chest-beating press release. It's interesting that when
they moved to drop the charges, no press release was issued.
An old editor once told me, "You're innocent until you're proven
guilty, and then you're probably still innocent."
Those are words I'll try to remember next time I read about some-
one who has been arrested.

of a hot fudge banana split
This petite, well dressed, shapely middle-aged rats with it in some secret laboratory as
woman stepped up to one of my ice cream cases. Choose your own poison, lady."
She scanned the varieties of ice cream like she was "Can you put it in a cup?"
looking over a whole table of dead fish blood, guts "Sure!"
and everything. I had seen the type over and over. "And what about you, sir?"
Standing behind her is a red faced, jolly man, "Yeah, I want the largest banana spl
sporting a double chin and a good sized pot belly. have. I want it filled with the richest ch(
His designer wife hems and haws. She just can't cream you have but instead of the usua
make up her mind Her decision is not perplexed I want it drenched in hot fudge and cov
because of all the different flavors being offered at a ton of whipped cream and don't skin
Hobo's Ice Cream Parlor now Hog Wild Bar-B- nuts."
Q in Carrablle. Her actual decision is whether she "No problem."
wants to go on starving and punishing herself or if The little lady almost has a heart a
she should in- tish, tish, tishes and shakes her head in
dulge in the per- gust.
version and lust "Don't yell for me when you are rolli
of ice cream. on the floor clutching your chest. It is you
"Do you are a big boy now."
have any sugar I look at Norm. He smiles.
free ice cream?" "Don't forget, I like whipped cream.-
she stumbles, I get three maraschino cherries one on
hesitantly. of ice cream."
"Yes, I do. I "You know sweetheart, I just recent
have three differ- Eat Right and Never Die magazine that mr
ent varieties." cherries don't digest in the human body."
"Do they I "Well, what the heck happens to th
taste good?" she Norm.
peeps. By Richard E. Noble "They putrefy and then rot out your
"I don't testing."
know. I don't cat that stuff," I tell her. "But people, "I don't think I have a small intesti
who are diabetic tell me that it is pretty good." thing I have is big. So don't worry about it
The "Hey Norm" type guy standing behind her "I'm not worried! Do I look worried
is still smiling but getting a little fidgety, insurance is all paid up."
"Could I try a little taste of that one right there?" "Honey, you will die of anorexia and
she asks pointing. ing on an island in the South Pacific wit]
I get a plastic spoon and I proceed to get her a of native beauties who all think that fa
sample portion. beautiful."
"Oh ... oh, you see that dab of strawberry ly- "We'll see."
ing there in the chocolate that I have chosen. Would "No, Honey, unfortunately you won
you please remove that?" will!"
I spoon out the dab of strawberry and also grab After Norm got his hot fudge banana
up a portion of the chocolate just to make sure that strolled out onto the little porch that looke
I get it all." highway 98. She was snuggled up next to
As I remove the spoon from the tub of ice cream whispering into his ear. He was shaking
Norm says, "What are you going to do with that?" negatively. Finally he said, "Oh all right!
"I'm going to throw it into the trash can," I tell other spoon."

him.
"No, no, no!" he says, shaking his head vigor-
ously. I'll cat that." I pass him the spoon.
"Is it possible to get a half scoop, or do I have to
get a whole scoop?" little miss Slim & Trim asks.
"Well, I will gladly give you as little as you want
but the lowest price will be that of one full scoop."
The poor, troubled woman sighs deeply. "OK,
give me half a scoop of the sugar free chocolate."
"You want that on a homemade waffle cone or
a regular cone?"
"Does the homemade cone have sugar in it?"
"Lady, everything in here has sugar in it except
the sugar free ice cream that you ordered. And only
god knows what that stuff has in it in place of the
sugar. I'm sure some research scientist is injecting

When I next looked out at the coup'
tossed her sugar free in the trash can and
each taking turns spooning into his giant
olate, hot fudge banana split with lots ol
cream and three maraschino cherries.
On their way out I said, "Well now w
luck, you both might die simultaneously."
"Yeah, while eating a banana split I h

we speak.

it that you
ocolate ice
l toppings
iered with
imp on the

attack. She
n total dis-

ng around
ur life! You

And could
each stack

tIy read in
aaraschino

em?" asks

r small in-

ne. Every-
t, honey."
? Your life

I'll be liv-
h a village
t men are

n't but I

split, they
d out onto
o him and
g his head
Go get an-

le she had
they were
, all choc-
f whipped

ith a little

ope!" said

"Oh shut up!" said she.
RicardNobleisafreelancewriterinEastpoint. Hisbooks,
Hobo-ing America and A Summer with Charlie, are
available on Amazon. con. If you wouldliketostock these
books in your store or business call 1-850-670-8076 or e-
mail richardedwardnoble@gtcom.net.

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

The Franklin Chronicle

Page 4 July 18, 2008

Local lighthouses win state tourism grant

The St. George Lighthouse
Association, in partnership with
the Carrabelle Lighthouse Asso-
ciation, the St. Marks Refuige As-
sociation, and the St. Joseph lis-
torical Society, has been awarded
a C litural Heritage and Nature
Tourism grant by VISIT FLOR-
IDA.
The announcement of the
award, in the amount of $5000,
came during the Commission's
June 18 meeting in St. Augus-
tintle.
The grant funds, along
with contributions from the light-
house associations, will be used
to produce a brochure that de-
tails a self-directed driving tour
of lighthouses along the coast
comprising Wakulla, Franklin,
and Gulf counties. Lighthouses
on the tour will include the Cape
St. George Light, the St. Marks
Lighthouse, the Crooked Riv-
er Lighthouse, and the Cape San
Bias Lighthouse. The brochures
will display a map of the drive be-
tween the four lighthouses, and
with each lighthouse will include
a history and description, contact
information, a picture, the days
and hours when the lighthouse
can be viewed, and mention any
amenities such as parks, muse-
ums, playgrounds, or visitor cen-
ters.
The brochures will be
on display at the five Florida wel-
come centers, the welcome cen-
ters of neighboring states, the

Lighthouses in the picture, from left to right: the St. Marks Lighthouse, the Crooked River Lighthouse, Cape St. George
Light, and the Cape San Bias Lighthouse.

Tallahassee Airport, visitor cen-
ters, chambers of commerce, oth-
er lighthouses, and other locales
frequented by tourists and visi-
tors. Press releases describing
the tour will be distributed to na-
tional publications of interest to
lighthouse buffs, maritime enthu-
siasts, and history fans. The tour
will provide another attraction of
the type that emphasizes the fam-
ily and eco-fun theme currently
lxing promoted by the involved
counties
"We were pleased that VIS-
IT FLORIDA and the Florida
Commission on lTounsm select.
ed us from among a large num-

ber of grant applicants, during
thitr most competitive grant cy-
cle to date," said )ennis Barnell.
president of thle St George Light-
hou.w A .t'oiation "T1'hei funds
will Ihe used to make more pco-
plc awa.u of the m.artisme histo.
rv ol Our area and show oil the
outllotIti oft (hlie mani1,v hour-s and

great efforts that have resulted in
restoration and reconstruction
of several lighthouses in our re-
gion."
The grant was written by
Elaine Rosenthal, director of the
St. George Island Visitor Center,
with planning and review by Ter-
ry Kemp of the St. George Light-
house Association, Robin Will
of the St. Marks -National Wild-
life Refuge, Arlene Oehler of the
Crooked River Lighthouse As-
sociation, Shcila IHauser and Su-
zanne Zimmerman of the Car-
labelle Chamber of Commerce,
and Charlotte Pierce with the St.
Joseph isltorical Society A long

weekend with special events at
each of the lighthouses is planned
for early spring.
"The purpose of these grants
is to help non-profit entities and
local governments stretch their
tourism marketing dollars in an
effort to expand cultural heri-
tage and nature tourism activities
in Florida," said Kerri Post, Vice
President of New Product Devel-
opment for VISIT FLORIDA.
VISIT FLORIDA, a private/
public partnership, is the Florida
Commission on Tourism's day-
to-day operating corporation and
the state's official source for trav-
el planning.

Lessons learned in

The first Oyster Relay of the
week started off slow but steady,
as we moved over 5,000 bushels
of oysters from the Jetties to Two
Mile Light. All in all it was a
great day with the weather coop-
erating and all the seafood work-
ers making every effort to work
hard and get the job done.
A few less people than we
had hoped considering the many
that signed up for the relay but
understandable as many are still
able to work a few days a week.
The heaviest clouds hang-
ing over were a reminder of the
loss of one of our own earlier in
the week. Corky Richards passed
away leaving many with heavy
hearts. It seemed for a while at
least the dark clouds that were
about were only an affirmation
of the gloom as many spoke of

The CuLL IroM

I By Linda Raffield
the funeral arrangements and the
loss. Corky was a true craftsman
at making tongs and an artist, as
each and every one was crafted
uniquely by hand The elegies,
memories, and remembrances
from most will be ongoing for a
while...with the whole commu-
nity giving credit to one single

The Tong
man who did make a difference
With a voice as loud and
clear as thunder, determined to
continue to support the seafood
industry in a way as unique as
the tongs he made. Corky Rich-
ards made a meager living de-
spite the naysayers who had giv-
en up on the industry and the life
that he loved. .thus proving that
one man can make a difference
and one voice does matter.
Few people in the commu-
nity were unfamiliar with "The
Tong Maker." and even news-
papers had picked up the story
worth telling, of the man who
still crafted tongs by hand
When last I saw Corky it
was at a public meeting in May.
Sie was hard pressed to clear up
a personal matter. Even in his
weakened state, and obvious-

Maker's passing

ly already very ill, he was try-
ing to make the Eastpoint Water
& Sewer Board understand that
his mother had been in a nursing
home for almost three years, and
that the bill of over $300 was un-
justified. He explained that his
mother could not afford to pay
it and that he, especially since he
had become so ill, was not able to
pay it and tried to get the matter
dismissed. It was as if the matter
fell on deaf ears, and the threat of
a lien being placed on her prop-
erty was definitely heavy on his
mind and heart. He left feeling
he had failed, and as I have fol-
lowed up on the situation since
his death, I have found not only
has the bill remained unpaid but
the bill has increased significant-
ly; the bill is now over $700.
Regretfully I wish I had fol-

lowed up sooner, but perhaps the
knowledge of this matter, and the
impact for which is suffered needs
to be addressed to "The Powers
That Be" to step and take respon-
sibility for a board that seems to
be out of control.
While our Commission-
ers and the Governor's Office
seem to be confused as to who
is in charge, there by the grace
of God go 1, and each and every
one of you in our community so
it is time that someone did some-
thing.
Call me someone but I will
challenge our officials to find a
solution to this injustice so that
everyone does not have to suffer
the injustice of Eastpoint Water
and Sewer.

. -0, 1

July 18, 2008 Page 5

The Franklin Chronicle

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

Carrabelle handles water

problem in Lanark Village

Late in the afternoon last
Wednesday, July 9, a C.W. Rob-
erts road crew cleaning the drain-
age ditches along Highway 98 in
Lanark Village, hit a water main,
prompting the city of Carrabelle
to declare a "boil water" notice.
Carrabelle water and sewer em-
ployees Jim Moore and Charlie
Painter were on call that evening,
and fielded the calls of anxious
citizens, assistant city clerk Jamie
Brown reported Tuesday "The
people out in Lanark were call-
ing city hall to find out what was
happening with their water, and
our after-hours recording referred
them to the water guys who were
on duty. So many of those cus-
tomers have told me how helpful
and informative they were about
the situation, and they got the
situation straightened out right
away." The water system had to
pass through a 48-hour period,
with test samples every 24 hours
after the repairs were complet-
ed. The boil notice was lifted late
Monday afternoon and Lanark
Village residents are grateful to
the city's workers for their fast, ef-
ficient service.
Go ahead and go
The new restrooms at Car-
rabelle Beach have been com-

Aro I cArrAbeLLe
By Laurel Newman
pleted and are now open to the
public, contractor Paul Osterbye
said Monday. "They've passed
inspection, and are ready for the
summer beach-goers." The new
restrooms have been under con-
struction for a few months now,
part of the city's expansion of its
water and sewer services west of
the city.
Pilot had local
connections
Carrabelle lost a good friend
and a grand storyteller over the
weekend. Gifford II. Flynt Jr., of
Pelham, GA., crashed his crop-
duster, a Grumman Schweiz-
er G-164B Ag-Cat, into a pecan
field near Highway 93, in Mitch-
ell County, GA., at about 10 a.m.
Saturday. Flynt.was the only oc-

P Carrabelle
FROM PAGE 1

(Ben Withers Company), as it
failed during inslOrumors that
the city sewer run to the light.
house was cancelled. The expla-
nation is that the commission ap-
proved the run, and that it is just
a matter of the right time to do
the work, relative to other area
projects. High on the decision list
over a year ago was the goal of
getting septic systems off our bay.
.The business judgment factor of
having a large number of custom-
ers in Lanark, versus few on the
western project, must be consid-
ered. He continued: the contrac-
tor has made a beneficial "buy"
of materials for the stretch, and

the job cost is lower than it oth-
erwise would be. As long as there
is still sewer work being done in
the Carrabelle Beach area. there
would be no additional "mobili-
zation" cost of bringing back all
the equipment,. matrenals and la-
bor
There is a chance that the
city may end up with a flashing
yellow light at 67 & 98 DOT and
the city are working on the best
solution to the dangerous 5-way
intersection. Years ago. dunng
Mayor Brown's term, there was
a vote to make the then "Loren-
zo's" stretch a one-way going
west from First Baptist to the in-
tersection, but no action was ever
taken.
Inovia Engineenng expects
to start the Sands Field project

late this summer. City Hall has
had to field the question: Will it
be a mountain or a lake? The an-
swer is lake a stormwater hold-
ing pond the massive fill mound-
ing is only a temporary contrac-
tor holding area
There will be a July 17 work-
shop with City Attorney Hart-
man to discuss Critical Shoreline
District budding setback issues:
FEMA. V Zone, 50-foot distance,
etc.
The City resolved by vote
to support a grant application for
a "transportation enhancement
project" from the FDOT. Trans-
lation: the grant would fund a
new idea to run a walking/bi-
cycle path along Highway 98 at
Carrabelle Beach to connect the

Continued on Page 17 Io

. Question #240: True or False...
Indoors at a space colony built on
a small asteroid, where there was
breathable air, a person could
build wings and fly like a bird
because of the low gravity.

cupant of the craft, and was pro-
nounced dead at the scene. Inves-
tigators believe he was on his way
back to the landing strip when
he went down. The cause of the
crash is still unknown. Flynt, a
lifting im member of American
legion Post 82 in l.anark Village,
was never at at loss for ai good sto.
ry. Gleorge Maier, an aviation en-
thusiast currently working at C-
Quarters Marina, remembered
Flynt's skill with a hair-raising
yarn. "At the old Tiki Bar on Tim-
ber Island," he said, "lHe would
have us all laughing so hard we
couldn't swallow our beer. He
was a great guy, and a dedicated
flyer."
At the Legion
This Friday night is July
Birthdays night at American Le-
gion Post 82 in Lanark Village,
where members who celebrate
birthdays this month will get to-
gether for their annual party. Sat-
urday night's dinner will be "light
summer fare," as attendance is
usually sparse after the month-
ly birthday celebration. Come on
out and join the Legion members
for good food and good company
from 5-7 p.m.

The Franklin Chronicle

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

Page 6 July 18, 2008

M

The Franklin Chronicle A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER July 18, 2008 Page 7

Pinki Jackel running for

County Commission

SUBMITTED
BY PINKI JACKEL
I am Pinki Jackel, Republi-
can candidate for County Com-
missioner, District 1. My cam-
paign theme is "New Thinking/
New Listening." I am a full-time
resident on West Gorrie Drive,
on St. George Island, and own
SeaSide Title Services located on
Highway Q8 in Eastpoint. My
husband, Dana, and I have been
married for 24 years and have
one son, William. I attend East-
point Church of God when not
attending church with my mother
in nearby Wacissa, where I grew
up. I am a native Floridian and
graduate of Florida State Univer-
sity. My career in business spans
over 20 years of executive man-
agement in banking, mortgage ti-
nance, and real estate.
My memory of the Apalach-
icola Bay goes back to when I was
seven years old when my father
would take me mullet fishing.
My family has owned a home
in Franklin County since 1982,
when Walter Armistead con-
vinced my parents to purchase a
home on the Bay. I have wonder-
ful memories from my childhood
of family times here in Franklin
County. I am thankful to have
been able to enjoy the blessings
of the Bay as a child, and for my
husband and me to share them
with our son while he was grow-
ing up.
There is no other Bay in the
world like ours. My promise is to
keep it as pristine as I remember
from my childhood, over 43 years
ago. It is my priority and com-
mitment that future generations
will inherit a preserved Bay.
The well-being of our peo-
ple is just as important as our Bay
and new jobs are at the top of my
list. New jobs in a growing lo-
cal economy are badly needed in
our District and throughout the
county. I represent a new way
of thinking of how to bring busi-
nesses and responsible industry
into our area.
I bring a new way of think-
ing about more effectively mar-
keting our local seafood prod-
ucts. This is one of our most im-
portant local assets. It is time to
let the world know that the sea-
food our Bay produces is the best.
As your Commissioner, I will
work to bring much deserved na-
tional recognition for the seafood
our people deliver everyday to the
docks in Eastpoint and through-
out our county. I will push for the
creation of a new marketing plan
resulting in our local seafood in-
dustry reach its maximum po-
tential. The waterfront area in
Eastpoint is a local treasure. My
commitment is to make positive
changes to restore this area. I am
listening to my District neighbors

Pinki Jackel
and it is clear to me where attend
tion is needed.
I bring it new way of think-
ing about solving the problems of
storm water, sidewalks, and poor-
ly paved roads on St. George Is-
land. Our Island is simply beau-
tiful. We must work together for
solutions to keep the Island and
the bridge clean and pristine.
I bring a new way of thinking
about how our tax dollars should
work for the benefit of District
1. We are experiencing a chal-
lenging economy. This year, our
county budget will again be ad-
justed to meet declining revenues
due to plunging real estate values.
I have been successfully self-em-
ployed for over 20 years, through
good times and bad. I have the
business expertise to provide
leadership and help guide this
county through difficult periods
without raising taxes
Fla.th, family, and home
this is my heart. Franklin County
is our home.
I am overwhelmed by the
positive support I've received
from friends and neighbors in
Eastpoint and St. George Island
as I step forward to commit my
time and energy to this honorable
public service. I am asking that
my friends and supporters speak
an encouraging word in my be-
half, put my sign in their yard.
and volunteer some of their valu-
able time.
As a part of my New Think-
ing/New Listening Campaign I
will be holding scheduled gath-
erings at my office in Eastpoint
and my home on the Island. I
will be available and accessible to
the voters in my District. I can be
reached at 670-6700.
I believe that listening and
thinking are only the beginning.
The next steps are courage to
make decisions and actions to
bring solutions. This is the basis
of my candidacy and why I ask
for your vote and support. I look
forward to earning your trust, and
working with you as your District
1. County Commissioner.

TIME TO PLANT!.
Get you ctr tus bees an palm trees heelm!
SDISCOT" ON PRE-ORDERS
LANDSCAPE SERVICES AVAILABLE
Located comer of1st St. anA Av easpo E

This Wees Answer

Cogno's Corner

Answer to question #240 is: True.
It would be easy for a person to fly inside a space colo-
ny on an asteroid by attaching some well-designed wings.
With nearly no gravity (asteroids have nearly none because
they don't have much mass) you could flap a pair of wings
against the air inside the colony and create plenty of lift.
You would float up and, with enough practice, be able to
flap yourself around. What a blast!

scallops
Scalloping was this past
week's story.
My wife, Carolyn, and I took
a road trip to visit friends in the
Perry, Fl. area the other day. Jes-
se reported that he and his sons,
Stanley and Mark, had been
"weain' them out" of late. So
we packed off the four dogs to
Penelope's Pet Stop, arranged to
have the cats and the fish tfed and
headed out. We stayed overnight
and got up the next morning and
took Jesse's boat down toward
the Econtina River. After search-
ing around a bit, we found a good
looking scallop area and went to
work,
Wearing a snorkel, mask,
and flippers you dive down when
you see them and drop them in a
mesh bag. It was nice, clear wa-
ter about 4-6' over grass with san-
dy patches. In about 3 hours we
had five 2 gallon limits. The way
this works is if you have a Flori-
da fishing license you are allowed
2 gallons per person in the shell,
or 1 pint shucked. We had a great
time with beautiful weather in the
clear, warm waters of Apalachee
Bay. It's about a two hour drive
to the area but turned out to be
worthwhile.
Next came the shucking pro-
cess. The guys had this figured
out neatly. Two people shuck the
scallops, one uses a shopvac to
suck out the undesirable parts of
the scallop (interestingly, the ed-
ible muscle is left attached to the
shell by the suction) and all that's
left is to cut the muscle off the
shell. We all helped and the job
was done in about 2 hours.
Now it was my turn to con-
vert the bay's bounty into a dinner
for eight. Made a tomato sauce
from scratch and then scared the

scallops in a cast iron frying pan
Added the scallops to the saucr,
cooked it briefly and then mixed
the whole thing with cooked spa.
ghetti. Every one went back for
seconds! It really helps if you
have all the scallops you want for
the sauce.
Offshore fishing
On the offshore scene, I took
Dr. Rob Joseph of Panama City
and his son Ryan. We fished
Apalach Reef but not much doing
for grouper and snapper. Howev-
er, Ryan. 15 years old, showed us
something by landing two nice
king mackerel and a keeper co-
bia. Plenty of sharks and barra-
cuda to keep things interesting.
We brought that cobia over to Ta-
mara's Cafe in Apalach and own-

cr Danny cooked it for us. He did
magic with that fish!
Since the snapper and grou-
per have slowed way down in the
areas we generally fish, we will
try new places until we find them
and then I will pass along any-
thing good We did try out in
90110' spots and caught a load of
bar jacks (they ate most of our
live baits before they reached the
bottom) but did manage to catch
a bunch of tasty tnggerfish, some
grey snapper, lance and vermillion
snappers (locally known as bec-
lincrs). Have not done too much
inshore this past week but I will
probably get out today and give a
report. Local angler and pro bass
fisherman Ron Yurko reports
some nice redfish in the St.

Mark's River so you might want
to give that a try. Ron uses artifi-
cial lures exclusively and said the
reds were hitting spinner baits
and top water plugs. Speckled
trout should be moving to the
Head of the Bay and the Rivers
any time now. You can usually
put together a nice, mixed catch
including flounder, croaker, red-
fish and trout and, of course the
usual suspects, sailcats, hard-
heads, rays and ladyfish. So if
you want some fun, bring the kids
and some bait shrimp from Fish-
erman's Choice and have a ball!
Don't forget C-Quarters Ma-
rina's Youth Fishing Tourney on
Saturday, July 19, from 8 to 4, bay
and river only. Contact Millard at
850-697-8400 for details.

Fri. July 18 12:27 PM
Sat. July 19 1:16 PM
Sun. July 20 2:06 PM
Mon. July 21 2:55 PM
Tues. July 22 3:45 PM
(Note: the major bite gener-
ally lasts about 2 hours)
Good fishing and tight lines!
Jeff lars, a rawed attorney and
lifetime fisherman, resides happily
in Eastpoin. Surrounded by some
of the best angling waters anywhere,
he takes full advantage by writing
this column for the Chronide and do-
ing Shorelines, a Forgotten Coast TV
program, requiring him to fish as of-
ten as he am. When not fishing he's
talking about fishing. You can con-
tact him at chatch8888@aoL comn

Boyd testifies about impact of red tide

Congressman Allen Boyd
(D-North Florida) highlighted
the devastating effects of red tide
on Florida's coastlines at a recent
Congressional hearing before the
Subcommittee on Energy and
Environment of the House Sci-
ence and Technology Commit-
tee.
During his testimony, Con-
gressman Boyd emphasized the
need for a better understanding
of red tide and of how we can
prevent it from further damaging
our economy, our beaches, and
our health.
Red tide is a naturally occur-
ring algal bloom that causes re-
spiratory problems in humans
and kills fish and manatees. It
also contaminates and kills shcll-

Rep. Connie Mack, left,
(R-FL) and Rep. Allen Boyd
(D-FL) testify before the Sub-
committee on Energy and En-
vironment of the House Sci-
ence and Technology Com-
mittee about red tide.
fish and destroys coral reelf and
sea grass communities.
"As those of us in North

Florida know all too well. our
local economics, our environ-
ment. and our very way of life
are threatened every time red tide
nears our coastline." said Con-
gressman Boyd. "This Congres-
sional hearing has helped to bring
more attention to the adverse ef-
fects of red tide on our state and
across the country. It is my hope
that we can set about working to-
gether on ways to light red tide
and to ensure that it will not con-
tInue to devastated our coastlines
or harm our families or econo-
my."
Boyd is part of the.cffort in
the Florida Delegation to provide
much-needed finding for more
research on red tide and harmfill
algal blooms. Boyd is a cospon-

sor of bipartisan legislation in the
House of Representatives The
Save Our Shores Act (HR 1091)
- that would:
Authorize $90 million over
a three-year period for peer-re-
viewed scientific research on
red tide and other harmful algal
blooms.
Require that all federal
funds used to conduct harmful al-
gal bloom research under this leg-
islation be awarded on a compet-
itive, scientifically peer-reviewed
basis.
Require the Task Force,
which is comprised of scientists
from various fi'deral agencies, to
report the results of this research
annually to Congress.
"When I was growing up,

red tide was a very rare occur-
rence, but in recent years, out-
breaks have become more fre-
quent, longer lasting, and severe,"
Boyd said. "It has become clear
that the economic welfare of our
coastal communities, our seafood
industries, the public health, and
the livelihood of those who de-
pend on the health of our waters
are extremely vulnerable to in-
creasing bouts of toxic red tide.
The Save Our Shores Act would
help us to better understand red
tide, so that we can ultimately de-
velop responsible and effective
methods to predict, prevent, and
detect red tide."

Hunter safety course offered in Bay County

The Florida Fish and Wild-
life Conservation Commission
(FWC) is offering a free hunter
safety course in Bay County.
The course will bhe at the Bay
County Fairgrounds, at the cor-
ner of U.S. 98 and Sherman Av-
enue in Panama City. Instruction

will take place 6-9 p.m. July 18,
and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 19, and
the range portion of the class will
be July 20.
Individuals who have taken
the Internet course and wish to
complete the classroom portion
must bring the online completion

report and attend only the July 18
class from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and
the July 20 range day.
Children under 16 must be
accompanied by an adult at all
times. Students are encouraged
to bring a pencil and paper with
them to take notes.

The hunter safety course is
required for anyone born on or
afetr June 1, 1975, to purchase
a Florida hunting license. The
FWC course satisfies hunter safe-
ty training requirements for all
other states and Canadian prov-
inres.

People interested in attend-
ing this course can register online
and obtain information about fu-
ture hunter safety classes at My
FC.coin/hun utcid or by call-
ing the FWC's regional office in
Panama City at 850-265-3676.

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

The Franklin Chronicle

Page 8 July 18, 2008

The Franklin Chronicle A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER July 18, 2008 Page 9

Youth fishing education continues in Carrabelle

This weekend marks the 19th
Annual C-Quarters Youth Tour-
nament, and lots of young people
in Carrabelle are eagerly looking
forward to the event.
Two of those anticipating
the competition are Austin Luke,
7, of Fitzgerald, GA., and Elijah
Cole Wheeler, 12, of Carrabelle.
Austin's father Scott runs a fish-
ing charter boat, "Renegade," out
of C-Quarters Marina, and Aus-
tin is a frequent "deck hand" on
his father's boat. "1I go out fish-
ing with my dad a lot," he said
proudly, "and he catches a lot oft
fish."
This will be Austin's "third
or fourth" tournament, and he
plans to fish for flouifder and
trout, "and everything else 1 can
catch."
This will be the second tour-
nament for Elijah Cole, who also
plans to fish from his father's
Carolina skiff "in the river and
under bridges." With the confi-
dence and savvy of many fisher-
men, his prey this weekend will
include pinfish and catfish, but
especially sheepshead, since he
knows() where the really big
ones hang out."
The Youth Tournament this
year will be a beneficiary of Fish
Florida, a non-profit organiza-
tion that supports organizations
that teach people, especially chil-

Alligator
A 375-pound black bear that
captured worldwide attention
when a wildlife biologist rescued
it from drowning during a cap-
ture attempt will spend the rest ot
its days in a zoo
On July 7, less than two
weeks after the Floridai Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commis-
ston (FWC) captured and rclocat-
ed the bear for the third time, the
animal turned up again in a resi-
dential area at Horseshoe Beach
in Dixie County. The bear had
traveled 110 miles from the spot
where the FWC had released it in
the Osceola National Forest.
At first, the bear's captors
did not realize it was the same
one that dashed into the wa-
ter when hit with a tranquilizer
dart at Alligator Point in June.

On the waterfroKt
By Laurel Newman
dren, about F"lorida'a fish and
aquatic habitats with donations
of fishing equipment, grants, ,ind
scholarships.
"Hlave you seen the 'Fish
Florida' license plate with tilhe
sailfish (Florida's state game fish)
on it?'" says Millard Collins, co-
ordinator of the youth tourna-
ment. "Sales of that plate are
what funds the Fish Florida pro-
grams for youth fishing events.
They provided us with the rods
and reels we give out to all the
tournament entrants."
Fish Florida's website de-
clares, "Anglers, boaters, and
other concerned individuals pur-
chase the Fish Florida plate, dem-
onstrating their dedication to the
future of their sport.
Purchase a fishing license
plate for your vehicle to sup-
port children and show your pas-

PHOTO BY LAUREL NEWMAN
Austin Luke, 7 and Elijah Cole Wheeler, 12, will be fishing in
the youth tournament this weekend in Carrabelle.

sion for saltwater fishing in Flor-
ida. We have a beautiful sailfish
design that goes well on all vehi-
cles including boat trailers. You
may purchase your plate online
or at your local DMV."
Further, "Fish Florida's Rod
and Reel Donation Program as-
sists organizations who teach
fishing to children in Florida. We
place emphasis on the angling in-
struction offered, hands-on activ-

cities, previous experience of the
organization, benefit to children
and inexperienced anglers, finan-
cial need, the number of partici-
pants, and community support."
http://fishfloridatag.org.
The youth fishing clinic will
be held this Friday evening from
6-8 p.m., and the tournament
commences at 8 a.m. Saturday
morning.

Point bear gets new home
The bear, known to the FWC as tial threat to human safety from The FWC receives roughly
"Bear W007." probably would this bear is too great to allow it 2.000 calls regarding bears each
have drowned if FWC biologist to continue to venture into popu- year In cases where the bear does
Adam Warwick had not pulled la.ted .a'.is This is not .1 pleasant not demonstrate aggression and
the animal back to short l- diluig Jc'ick.li',to:s t': i i tW' 1u.0cW to m' .ikc, h.s wa. ldc inil o .1 '-sildentiil
the operation A bystandci s pho but it is what h.ippcns when pco- .tic.i for the first time, the FIWC
tograph of the rescue n in news pie feed bC.s or other wildlife usually captures and relocates
media all over the world The only .lltern.itlive was to the animall to .1 remote area In
Tim HiBrault. drecVtor of the cuth.uni/e the bear." rcault said. about half the cases, the relocat-
FWC's I division of iI habitat and %o F'WC official contacted more ed I-.u turns up in a residential
Species Conservation, said three than 20 zt-os and other qualified area again, and in about a third
unsuccessful attempts to relocate facilities in a last-ditch effort to of the cases, the bear visits popu-
the bear to keep it away from pop- find a home for the animal and lated areas repeatedly.
ulated areas led officials to con- spare its life All but one of the fa- "These captures are poten-
clude the bear cannot remain in chlities said they could not take in tally dangerous for the bear and
the wild. such a large wild animal. for our staff," Breault said, "but
"The bear has learned that Wildlife Rescue and Re- we try to give them a chance to
populated areas are an easy hab Inc agreed to take the bear remain in the wild before we
source of food from garbage cans, Wednesday morning They have have to make the decision to have
barbecue grills, pet food and. in made arrangements to have the them permanently removed or
some cases, deliberate feeding by bear kept at the Hardec County put them down."
residents," he said. "The poten- Animal Refuge.

Franklin County
On June 29, Lt. Rama Shus-
ter and Officers Michael Slotin
and Faris Livesay were on wa-
ter patrol on the offshore patrol
vessel "Sea Hawk." At approx-
imately 6 p.m., while returning
from Madison Swanson, thecrew
observed a commercial fishing
vessel 16 miles south of Apala-
chicola. The officers pulled in
behind the vessel which was trav-
.eling at approximately 15 knots
and turned on the blue lights.
The captain of the vessel, who
was dressed only in his under-
wear, turned around and looked
at the patrol vessel but continued
to drive. The captain grabbed a
pair of shorts and began to make
erratic movements around the
cabin of the vessel while look-
ing back at the patrol vessel. The
captain of the vessel made an
evasive turn to port and pulled
the throttle back in an effort to
conceal the starboard side of the
vessel. He then picked up a cam-
ouflage ditch bag and attempt-
ed to throw it out the starboard
window. The bag got hung up in
the window but eventually went
overboard. The vessel continued
a short distance before coming
to a stop The ditch bag floated
and the officers retrieved it from
the water as they approached the
vessel. The ditch bag contained
44 pounds of red snapper filets
packaged in gallon Ziploc bags.
The officers boarded the vessel
and located eight undersized red
grouper on the top layers of fish
in the cooler. With an officer on
board, the vessel was escorted
back to Apalachicola, where the
officers unloaded and measured
every fish. The officers located
eight more undersized red grou-
per, three undersized scamp grou-
per and one undersized gray trig-
gerfish. The captain was charged
with the following federal charg-
es: disposal of fish after contact
with an officer, interference with
a law enforcement officer, posses-
sion of 16 undersized red grouper
and failure to maintain red snap-
per in whole condition.
Gator classes
FWC is offering alligator
hunters no-cost, three-hour class-
es to help them prepare for the
Aug. 15 Nov. 1 statewide alli-
gator harvest. Reservations are
not required to attend a class. At-
tendance is not mandatory for li-
censed hunters, but the FWC rec-
ommends that participants at-
tend, especially if they have not
previously hunted for alligators.
Class topics include preparing for
the hunt, hunting techniques and
safety, harvesting and process-
ing, caring for your alligator hide
and alligator hunting rules and
regulations. Also, persons who
do not have an alligator harvest
permit can attend if they want to
learn what hunting alligators is
all about. The classes closest to
Franklin County will be July 30
from 6-9 p.m. in the Bryant Build-
ing, 2nd floor auditorium, 620 S.
Meridian Street, Tallahassee. For
information, call 850-488-3831.

J apipaf

4 ica
=I

On July 27th and August 31st
Trinity Church will hold its
8:00 a.m. service at Lafayette Park

Following is a summary of
the report to the Franklin Coun-
ty Commission from Bill Mahan,
Franklin/UF-IFAS Extension
Director, on Tuesday, July 15.
FWC Updates
There is a lot going on deal-
ing with new and pending ma-
rine fisheries regulations this
month. The following is from the
July 2008 FWC Marine Fisheries
Hotsheet that covers both state
and federal fishing regulations
impacting Florida fishermen.
Issue: BAY SCALLOP
Action: Recreational Harvest
Season Opens July I with Same
Regulations.
Inflation : As of July t, the
recreational harvest of scallops is
allowed along Florida's gulf coast
from the Pasco-Hernando Coun-
ty line (near Aripeka) to the west
bank of the Mexico Beach Canal
in Bay County. Recreational har-
vesters are limited to:
Two gallons of whole bay
scallops in the shell, or one pint
of bay scallop meat, per day
Ten gallons of whole bay
scallops in the shell, or / gallon
of bay scallop meat, aboard any
vessel at any tinime
Bay scallops may be har-
vested only by hand or with a
landing or dip net
Bay scallops may not be
harvested for commercial pur-
poses
The season will close on Scp-
tember I 1.
Issue: SPINY LOBSTER
Action: Recreational Two-
Day Sport Season July 30 & 31
Information: The recreation-
al two-day sport season for spiny
lobster occurs this year on July
30 and 31 (the last consecutive
Wednesday and Thursday of
July) with no changes:
Bag limits-6 per person
per day for Monroe County and
Biscayne National Park, and 12
per person per day for the rest of
Florida
Possession limit--on the
water is equal to the daily bag
limit, and off the water is equal to

D A

SExtension.

the daily bag limit on the first day,
and double the daily bag limit on
the second day
Minimum size limit 3"
carapace length, measured in the
water
Night diving is prohibit-
ed in Monroe County during the
two-day sport season
Harvest is prohibited in
John Pennekamp Coral Reef
State Park during the sport sea-
son
Harvest is also prohibited
all the time in Everglades Nation-
al Park, Dry Tortugas Nation-
al Park, and no take areas in the
Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary
A recreational saltwater li-
cense and a spiny lobster per-
mit are required The regular
spiny lobster season is August 6
through March 31.
Issue: GROUPER and
SNAPPER
Action: Pending and Pro-
posed Federal Regulations
lnfibnnsation: Gulf of Mexi-
co Grouper regulations for state
and federal waters of the Gulf
of Mexico remain presently un-
changed. However, the Gulf of
Mexico Fishery Management
Council is scheduled to address
and take final action on proposed
regulation changes for gag, black,
and red grouper at their August
2008 meeting in Key Largo The"
following are possible changes to
the Gulf grouper regulations but
are subject to change.
RAnrftiornil (would reduce
gag harvest by 25*a. increase red
grouper harvest by -1* o)
Reduction in bag limit to -1
grouper aggregate per person
Two-fish gag grouper bag
limit within the aggregate
Two-fish red grouper bag
limit within the aggregate
Season closure during Feb-
ruary I March 31
Comnmrnnial
200-lb trip limit for gag
or red grouper when 80*'o of
gag, black or red grouper quota
reached
Prohibit all grouper harvest
during March and April
Remove current 15 Febru-
ary 15 March closure if other
closure approved
Season closure during Jan-

uary through April at 'Edges 40'
(see below)
Interim Rule
Additionally, the Gulf Coun-
cil requested that NOAA Fish-
eries Service prepare an interim
rule for gag grouper. This interim
rule is intended to reduce the rec-
reational and commercial harvest
of gag grouper while the Gulf
Council implements permanent
management measures. The pro-
posed interim rule is scheduled to
be reviewed at Council's August
meeting and would take effect in
January 2009 if approved.
Other Council Action
The Gulf Council is also ini-
tiating action on establishing an
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ)
for the commercial grouper and
tilefish fisheries. The Council
has requested approval from the
Secretary of the Department of
Commerce for a referendum of
qualifying grouper and tilefish
fishermen. Public hearings on the
Grouper IFQ proposal will occur
throughout the state in various
locations July 21 through July 31.
2008.
Proposed Area Closure
'The Gulf Council is consid-
ering a new area closure to protect
gag spawning aggregations along
the 40-fathom contour. The pre-
ferred location of this proposed
protected area. called the "Edg-
es 40 fathom contour reserve", is
adjacent to the northern.portion
of the Steamboat Lumps protect.
ed area and is approximately 390h
square miles in sire This closed
area would adlct recre.ttional
,ind t)fianniercial fishers but may
or may not cover all types of fish-
ing
The FWC will be discuss-
ing federal issues and the draft
intenm rules at their September
meeting in Jacksonville.
Tinmelhn. Public hearings on
gulf Grouper IFQ (Key West on
July 21, Marathon on July 22,.
Miami on July 23, Fort Myers on
July 24, Tampa on July 30. Pana-
ma City on July 31); Gulf Coun-
cil meeting August 11-15 in Key
Largo; South Atlantic Coun-
cil meeting September 15-19 in
Charleston, SC Interim rules to
take effect January 1, 2009 for
federal waters on both coasts.

FWC meeting September 17-19
in Jacksonville.
Issue: NATIONAL
SALTWATER ANGLER
REGISTRY
Action: Proposed Rules Es-
tablishing National Saltwater
Angler Registry Published; Seek-
ing Public Comments
Inornnation: Proposed rules
were published on June 11 that
would establish requirements
for anglers fishing in federal wa-
ters or for anadromous fish any-
where, such as striped bass and
shad, to register with the NOAA
Fisheries Service beginning in
January 2009.
The purpose of this national
saltwater angler registry is to con-
tribute to improving the efficiency
and accuracy of recreational fish-
ing surveys. This program was es-
tablished in the Magnuson-Ste-
vens Fishery Management and
Conservation Act of 2006.
Anglers fishing in Flori-
da may not be required to regis-
ter with NOAA if Florida qual-
ifies as an exempted state under
this program. States could qual.
ify for this exemption status if
they already license the vast ma-
jority of their anglers and make
their license database available to
NOAA with the necessary con-
tact information. Florida's ex-
emption for resident shore-based
anglers currently would not al-
low Florida to qualify as an ex-
empted state under this program.
Additionally, to qualify as an ex-
empted state. Florida will also beI
required to provide contact in-
formation for senior anglers and
combination or multiyear license
holders by 2011. The national
saltwater angler registry program
is scheduled to take effect Janu-
ary 2009. There will be no fees
for the first two years of the pro-
gram, but fees ranging $15 to $25
are likely beginning in 2011.
A public comment period
on this registry program is open
through August II1. Review the
links below for more informa-
tion.
Timeline: Magnuson-Ste-
vens Act of 2006 signed into law
in January 2007; proposed rules
published on June II1; comment
period ends August I1; federal
registration from anglers in non-

Take a trip to "The Rock,"
the windswept island off the San
Francisco coast that was home to
one of America's most notorious
prisons from 1934 to 1963. This
collection of more than 200 rare
black-and-white photos depicts
guards, prisoners, wardens, cell-
blocks and the once-thriving ci-
vilian life that sprang up outside
the forbidding, virtually escape-
proof walls. You'll be fascinated
by this glimpse into the evolution
and transformation of a storied
American landmark with more
than one talc to tell military
fortress, federal penitentiary and,
finally, national park.

100 Baseball Icons

BY TERRY HEFFERNAN,
KIT HINRICHS &
DELPHINE HIRASUNA

Amazon: 158008916X
Babe Ruths' bat... A plaster
casting of Bob Feller's fabled fast-
ball grip... Cy Young's glove. El-
egant color photos of these and
other iconic displays of legend-
ary baseball memorabilia, all en-
shrined at the National Base-
ball Hall of Fame and Museum
in Cooperstown, N.Y, make this

classy collection almost as good
as being there in person-with
the notable exception being the
mouth-watering spread of a mus-
tard-splashed ballpark hot dog...
for which there simply is no sub-
stitutc.

The Motown
Collection

10 CDs/ 1 DVD box set
(retail $149.95)
Amazon B001BK41UQ
Time-Life combed through
the Motown library for this as-
semblage of 150 classic tunes that
helped define a style, a time and a
place- the Motor City-in songs
like "Tracks of My Tears," "Heat
Wave" and "Signed, Scaled, De-
livered." A bonus DVD features
a collection of performance clips
of Smokey Robinson & The Mir-

acles, Diana Ross & The Su-
premes, The Jackson 5, Stevie
Wonder, The Temptations and
The Four Tops from TV's Ed Sul-
livan Show. For music lovers who
remember how Motown's soul-
ful, pop-polished mini-master-
pieces brought radios vibrantly to
life throughout the '60s and '70s,
this comprehensive Collection is
bountiful reminder of the musi-
cal dynasty that put Detroit on
the musical map.

A History of Alcatraz
Island 1853-2008

BY GREGORY L.WELLMAN

BAS 9 ALL

F AI II N A l*I iO N R A S M i HAI I 1

Page 10 July 18, 2008

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

The Franklin Chronicle

exempted states begins January
1, 2009; fees for registration re-
quired in 2011.
Issue: REEF FISH
Action: New Gear Require-
ments for Reef Fish in the Gulf
of Mexico
Information: The new rules
listed below require certain gear
and devices to be used when fish-
ing for any reef fish (including
snappers, groupers, amberjacks,
sea bass, gray triggerfish, hog-
fish, golden tilefish and red por-
gy) from a vessel in the Gulf of
Mexico in federal and state wa-
ters. These rules became effective
June 1, 2008:
Commercial and Recreational
Requires the use of non-
stainless steel circle hooks when
using natural bait (live or dead) to
harvest any of the reef fish spe-
cies from a vessel
Circle hooks used in state
waters (out to 9 nautical miles) of
the Gulf of Mexico are required
to be non-offset
Requires venting tools and
dehooking devices to be onboard
all vessels and to be used appro-
priately while releasing any of
the reef fish species
Timeline: New reef fish re-
quirements for federal and state
waters took effect June 1, 2008.
Issue: SHARKS
Action: New Federal Regula-
tions Effective July 24
Information: New regulations
affecting all fishers harvesting
shark in the Atlantic Ocean and
Gulf of Mexico take effect July
24. Several important species of
shark, including sandbar and por-
beagle sharks, are at low popula-
tion levels (i.e., overfished) war-
ranting significant regulatory ac-
tion. Among other action, the
new regulations prohibit the rec-
reational harvest of sandbar and
silky sharks from federal waters
of the Gulf and Atlantic.
UF-IFAS Extension
Updates
4-HCounty Camp: I am at4-H
County Camp this week with 17
youth from Franklin County. We
are camping with 4-Hers from
Walton County, FL and Coving-
ton County.

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

It's waterspout season
Photos taken by Carrabelle Water and Sewer Department's Jimmy Moore show this waterspout that formed of Lanark Village
Tuesday morning, July 8, at about 10 a.m. It was one of several waterspouts seen recently in the area.

Parents & grandparents attend parenting workshop

BY ANNA CARMICHAEL
Chronicle Corrspondentt
Kate Jensen leads the Guid-
ing Good Choices Free Parent-
ing Workshop on Thursdays at
the Eastpoint Central Campus
School. The first session was July
10. The meetings are held in the
library and begin at 4:30-6: p.m.
for the next four Thursdays.
Jensen, a Licensed Clinical
Social Worker and counselor for
Franklin and Wakulla Counties,
asked the group of parents and
grandparents to introduce them-
selves, tell how many children
they have, and what they hope to
get from the workshop.
"Help in any and every
thing," was the reply of one
grandmother, who is raising her
grandson. ADHD, ADD, & Bi-
polar disorder were among other
topics of needed help.
During these four 90-minute
sessions, Jensen will address the
requested help topics among oth-
ers like: How To Set Rules and
Guidelines. How To Avoid Trou-
ble, How To Say No, How To
Manage Conflicts. The last ses-
sion, How To Strengthen Fami-
lies, will involve the children of
the parents and grandparents that
attend the workshop.
Jensen provided learning
manuals that the participants can
keep after the workshop. She
uses a variety of entertaining and
learning slide shows and videos,
games and role playing between
those attending. Door prizes arc
also given.
She passed out one eye-
opening source of info: an exec-
utive summary of the 2006 Flor-
ida Youth Substance Abuse Sur-
vey. The Survey was developed
from the works of Doctors J. Da-
vid Hawkins and Richard Catala-
no. It measures the prevalence of

PHOTO BY ANNA CARMICMAEL
From left, Mac Waters, Cathleen Bowler, Kathleen Roberts,
and Shanti Smith, sat in on the first of five sessions of the
Guiding Good Choices Parenting workshop. They are from
FSU- Florida Center for Prevention Research.

alcohol, tobacco, and other drug
use and delinquent behavior and
also measures the risk and protec-
tive factors related to those.bechav-
iors. The 2006 FYSAS was ad-
ministered to 191 Franklin Coun-
ty School students, grades 6-12,
who had parental permission to
take the survey.
Thankfully, no student re-
ported past 30 day use of Ket-
amine (a form of the drug ecsta-
sy), methamphetamine ( a mod-
ern day/toxic form of speed),
crack cocaine, heroin, or steroids.
Of those surveyed, 73.1% indi-
cated that it would be wrong for
them to smoke cigarettes and,
71% know it's wrong to smoke
marijuana, and 89.3% know it's
wrong to use any other illicit
drug.
Few students indicated that it
would be "cool" if they used the
above drugs. A majority indicat-
ed that they know that smoking a
pack or more of cigarettes a day
posses a "great risk" of harm.

Students reported that 2.7%,
have earned a handgun, 4.3% re-
ported selling drugs, and 2 1% re-
ported an attempt to steal a ve-
hicle. The percent of students
that have been arrested is 1.9%,
and 0.5% reported haven taken a
hand gun to school.
Alcohol, according to the
survey, is the most commonly
used drug among Franklin Coun-
ty students. It is referred to as a
gateway drug, meaning, alco-
hol can lead to use of other hard-
er drugs. Cigarettes and marijua-
na are among those listed as gate-
way drugs and the next two most
commonly used drugs by Frank-
lin County students. Binge drink-
ing, (5 or more drinks in a row
within a 2 week period), is more
prevalent than cigarettes and
marijuana.
Unfortunately, past 30 day
use of marijuana by students in-
creased from 13.3% in 2002 to
18.0% in 2006, and past 30 day
use of inhalants (paint thinner,

etc.). increased from 1.4% in 2002
to 4.0% in 2006. More than I out
of every 10 students admitted to
using dipressants, prescription
pain relievers, and other drugs.
The 191 students reported
that their use of drugs was a re-
sult of their peers using (67 stu-
dents. not percent), and low per-
ceived risks of drugs (65 students,
not percent). Of the students sur-
veyed. 25.6% reported having a
school suspension, 15.8% have
attacked someone with intent to
harm, and 13% reported being
drunk or high at school.
Taking advantage of the
free workshops and other simi-
lar learning opportunities along
with the survey data, will enable
Franklin County parents and
planners to learn risk and preven-
tion, intervention and treatment
of such factors.
One website accessed for
this article is www.frccvibc.com/Z
diuJ facts/mdcx.asp. Also. you
may find information for all sorts
of topics at information at FSU-
Florida Center for Prevention Re-
sources, 2035 E. Paul Dr., room
118 of the Herb Morgan Building
in Tallahassee, 32306-2671.
The next four dates for the
workshop is, July 17, 24, 31 and
August 7. Seating for the work-
shop is unlimited. You may ar-
rive late if you have a conflict in
scheduling and if you miss a ses-
sion you may return to any you
can. Confidentiality is requested
by all participants. Light refresh-
ments are served and breaks are
given as well. Participants will re-
ceive a certificate at the end of
the workshop. For more infor-
mation you may contact Wanda
Teat, Guidance Counselor at the
Central Campus School in East-
point, at 850-670-8458.

Island

lighthouse

ready by

September

St. George Lighthouse
Association meets
BY TOM LOUGHRIDGE
Chronicle Correspondent
The St. George Lighthouse
Association held its annual meet-
ing on Saturday, beginning the
evening with a dinner of bar-
beque and beans and continuing
with reports and election of of-
ficers and directors for the new
year. The meeting was opened
with President Dennis Barnell
presiding.
President Barnell gave an up-
date on the progress of the light-
house, saying that 2/3 of the
stairs, the windows, and the land-
scaping remain to be done. Bar-
nell expects the lighthouse to be
"sealed up and ready to go by
September Ist."
Tax funding concerns have
ruled out running the lighthouse
as a state park so the Associa-
tion is looking at hiring some-
one full time to run the exhibit.
The Association has been look-
ing for a Fresnel lens for the lan-
tern room. The one exhibited by
the U. S. Coast Guard in St. Au-
gustine may still be identified as
coming from the Cape St George
Light, which will make a good
argument for our acquisition of
that one.
The Lighthouse Association
expects the lighthouse to be ac-
cessible to people who want to
walk up the long circular stais
and look out over the Gulf and
the Island if the state OK's the
safety of it. The lighthouse is to
be illuminated and will have a
light shining out of the lantern
room that will be directed and
shaded for protection of endan-
gered sea turtles.
Elaine Rosenthal reported
that the Visitors Center had an
average of 35 visitors a day so far
this month. Bruce Drye, volun-
teer sea turtler, is keeping a tur-
de bulletin board at the Visitors
Center current with information
about sea turtles and a map of
known nests.
The Lighthouse Association
recognized the contributions of
state representative, Will Kend-
rick, who said that he, "...started
to see your vision. I started to see
that light again."
He noted that Terry Kemp
and Dennis Barnell "and H0of
other people worked on the fund-
ing. It was through your work
this was done. Thank you for al-
lowing me to be part of it."
The Florida Lighthouse li-
cense plate was mentioned. It
should be ready for sale around
October of this year. The license
plate will cost an additional $25
above the regular renewal fee
that will go toward the upkeep of
Florida historic lighthouses.
Finally new officers and di-
rectors were elected. The new
slate of officers is as follows:
President Dennis Barnell, Sec-
retary Terry Kemp, Treasurer -
Jim Kemp. Directors Joe Back-
er, Dennis Barnell, Vito Bell, Bud
Hayes, Jim Kemp, Terry Kemp,
Rick Plessinger, Ed Tiley, and
new directors, nominated and
elected, Fred Stanley, Richard
Saucer, and Phyllis Lewis.

An unidentified Carrabelle Water and Sewer Department employee works on an upgrade com-
ponent of the city's sewer system in 1975. If you happen to know who that is in the photo, e-
mail infoalFranklinChroniclknct or mail PO Box 590, Eastpoint, FI. 32328.

Check Out a FREE

Franklin Chronicle

Enloy a good meal
and
pick up a FREE
FRANKLIN CHRONICLE
At

HARRY A'S
RESTAURANT AND BAR

on St. George Island
and

WHITE EAGLE
RESTAURANT 0 1=
in Eastpoint
RESTAURANTS: TO HAVE YOUR BUSINESS INCLUDED IN THIS LIST FOR FREE, CALL 670-4377.

Each puzzle is divided into nine sections, and each section has
nine blank squares. Fill in all 81 squares on the puzzle with
numbers I through 9. You may not repeat any numbers in any
one of the nine sections that you've already used elsewhere in
that section. Also, you can use each number 1 9 only once in
each horizontal line of nine squares, and in each vertical col-
umn of nine squares. The puzzle is completed when you cor-
rectly fill every square. Answer to this week's Sudoku Puzzle
is on page 15.

BY ANNA CARMICHAEL
Chronicle Correspondent
In addition to presentation of
the 2008 Valor Award (see page
1), here are highlights of the July
8 Apalachicola City Commission
meeting:
Mayor Van Johnson read
an anonymous letter about offi-
cer's heroic efforts in saving the
life of a fellow citizen. Officer
Anthony Croom, Jr. was given
the 2008 Valor Award.
Callie Nichols asked for
permission to perform repairs
and remove an overhang to cor-
ner of Ave. G and Commerce
Street. Permission was granted
with the exception of the side-
walk repairs and that was tabled
until the proper permit is ob-
tained to complete the repairs.
Joe Taylor, Board of His-
tory, Culture, & Arts, gave an
update of the newly formed or-

ganization. The group had the
first public meeting on June 30.
A highlight of the report is that
classes were attended by 74 stu-
dents in June. Taylor is glad for
the good responses that the new
organization is getting from the
community.
Mayor Johnson announced
that the city had closed on the
property that will be used for the
new Police/Fire Station.
The Traffic Safety Team
announced that the Community
Partnership had signs at the front
of the room for all to take, and re-
ported that the response is grow-
ing throughout the community.
Anita Grove gave her
Chamber of Commerce report,
discussing the recent government
visitors who had toured many
areas of interest to them, for re-
search into the ongoing water
wars with neighboring states. She

felt that the meeting was a move
toward the group of officials see-
ing the other side of the effect of
decreasing the freshwater flow in
our area.
Grove also asked that sever-
al media boxes be removed from
a particular corner in downtown
Apalachicola. After discussion,
it was decided that the owners of
the boxes would be notified that
the boxes had been removed and
stored at a specified location. If
the owners of the boxes want to
retrieve the boxes they may. It was
also discussed that the city may,
in the future, designate a speci-
fied spot for all media boxes.
Betty Webb gave the City
Administrator's report. Much
discussion was dedicated to the
local parks and the improve-
ments and desires of more attrac-
tive features, including a shrimp
boat that may be donated. Docks

are soon to be in place, and it was
asked if the board would consid-
er renaming the Veterans Park, to
avoid confusion with the new Vet-
erans Plaza. It was decided the
veterans and the public needed to
know about this issue before any
more discussion. Commissioner
Bartley stated, "When it was do-
nated by the veterans they want-
ed it to be for all veterans and
there is a flag pole there that is of
issue as well." It will discussed at
the next meeting, possibly.
There was discussion about
the city's plans to purchase not
buildable real estate on the bay-
front. An audience member asked
why the purchase if it's not build-
able. Webb and others stressed
that the city already owns a por-
tion of that same strip of proper-
ty and although it is not buildable,

Dear EarthTalk:
What green-friendly lawn
and garden pesticides are avail-
able today? I'm particularly inter-
ested in options that won't harm
my cats.
-Nancy Blanchard, via e-mail
Pesticides have greatly boost-
ed agricultural yields over the last
'half century, so it is no wonder,
given the commercial availability
of many of these synthetic chem-
icals, that American homeown-
ers apply 100 million pounds of
the stuff each year to make their
own gardens grow bigger and
faster, too.
But the downside of using
such chemicals is that they can
poison people and pets as well
as backyard wildlife: "Common
insecticide ingredients such as
2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
(2,4-D), atrazine and dicamba
have been shown to harm mouse
embryos at times equivalent to
the first week after conception
in humans," says Erica Glasen-
er of The Green Guide. Due to
such revelations, home gardeners
are fast discovering the benefits
of avoiding chemicals in favor of
natural, less toxic alternatives.
But before thinking about ap-
plying pesticides, gardeners can
design (or re-design) their gar-
dens to make the most of native
plants that have evolved over eons
to thrive in local conditions with-
out synthetic aid or lots of water.
Choosing native plants appropri-
ate to your elevation, soil type,
drainage and sun exposure will
naturally repel many common
pests and also reduce the propa-
gation of invasive exotic species.
Similarly, embedding your
plants in healthy soil replete with
beneficial insects and worms can
also help reduce the need for pes-
ticides. Laura Moran of Main-
street.com suggests that home
gardeners compost their vegeta-
ble food waste-which is chock
full of nutrients that plants love-
and mix it into existing soil to
give the garden a healthy boost.
"Aside from stimulating healthy
root development," she writes,
"the addition of rich compost
also improves soil texture, aera-,
tion and water retention." It also
provides a nice home, she says,
for the beneficial bugs that are de-
stroyed along with the bad ones
by chemical pesticides.
If pesticides are necessary,
there are a handful of organic
varieties available. Bacillus thur-
ingiensis ("Bt") is a naturally oc-
curring bacterium that is lethal to
most leaf-eating caterpillars on
trees, shrubs, flowers and vege-
tables. According to gardening
writer JeOT Ball, it is harmless to
all other insects, animals and hu-
mans. It comes in a powder form
or use as a dust, or, when dilut-
cd with water as a spray. Organic
chemists have formulated variet-
ics of Bt to kill mosquitoes or po-
tato beetles as well.
CONTACTS: The Given
Guide, \\%%\ tnhec'ngui.de.com.
MainStreet.com, wwwymaina-
strect.com; Native Plants Nurs-
cry Directory, wwwplantnativ'e.
org/national nursery dir main
htm.

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

The Franklin Chronicle

Page 14 July 18, 2008

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

The Franklin Chronicle

Kidding remark led to calendar girls

BY TOM LIOUGHRIDGE
Chronicle Correspondeent
Did you ever wonder
what goes on in a ladies dressing
room backstage when the girls in
the show have gotten their make-
up on right and their costumes
are just so and ready to delight the
audience that gathered to laugh
at the onstage antics of Harvey?
Well, in Apalachicola last year,
Janyce Loughridge, who played
Mrs. Chlauvenet in tile Painhan
die Players production at thile )t-
xie Theatre, kiddingly made the
suggestion that the troupe should
do ai stage production of the miov-
ie, "Calendar Girls".
'-,$y the time of the cast par-'
ty, Elaine Kozlowsky, who had
acted the part of Dr. Chumley's
wife, and who had been thinking
about the suggestion, came up
with the idea of actually produc-
ing a "Calendar Girls" calendar
featuring local women and do-
nating the proceeds to breast can-
cer needs. The plan met with en-
thusiastic acceptance and in no
time, Kozlowsky was working
on plans for the project. With the
help of Henry Kozlowsky, retired
lawyer, a non-profit organization,
Franklin Needs, Inc., was set up
and the preliminary list of mod-
els put together. By the time the
dust had settled (and husbands
had managed to accept that, yes,
they were really going through
with it), These wonderful ladies
had committed to a project they
couldn't have imagined would
grow so fast and become such a
lifeline to the wives, mothers, sis-
trs, and daughters of Franklin

> Apalachicola
FROM PAGE 13

per say, people can still put things
there, sheds, docks, etc. She fur-
ther explained that the city wants
to preserve it and as much bay-
front property as possible and the
money was available when the
property was for sale.
Another issue that was dis-
cussed briefly, was a request by
Commissioner Webb that depos-
its and checks concerning the ih-

County.
By now many of you
have seen our own Franklin
County Calendar Girls, Joyce Es-
tes (January), Hollis Vail (Feb-
ruary), Margy Oehlert (March),
Mel Kelly (April), Liz Sisung
(May), Adele Hungerford
(June), Nedra Johnson (July),
Ruth Schoelles (August), Janyce
Loughridge (September), and
Pam Vest (October). The Month
of November is a group photo of
Franklin Needs. Inc. officers and
December shows all the calendar
girls done up as the best Chnrst-
mas presents ever.
For your very own copy
of the Forgotten Coast Classics

br.ry be handled min more ime-.
ly manner
An audience member re-
quested a map be brought to
meetings so the public will know
where places of discussion actu-
ally are in the city.
Mayor Johnson added that
an effort to alert the public so that
they are informed of all issues
prior to meetings take a pnonty.
The new water system plant
was discussed and the board was
assured that they are ready for
the move.

home .."
The unknown author closed
his letter of thanks with these re-
marks. "It was by far a blessing
and honor to have him on the
scene of that fire,."
Officer Anthony Croom Jr.
is the son of Anthony Croom Sr.
and Tammi Croom of Apalachi-

J Produce, Sometimes It's Hot-
ter, Sea Oats Gallery, Collins Va-
cation Rentals, Resort Vacation
Properties, Island Books, and
The Island Emporium.
In Eastpoint The Liter-
ary Council in the Point Mall,
Unique Nails, and Seaside Ti-
de Services, and C & S Sporting
Goods
In Carrabelle Carrabelle
Junction and Carrabelle Pharma-
cy.
In Port St. Joe Sisters Res-
taurant, Portside Trading Co.,
and Blue Water Outriggers.
Calendars are also for sale at
all five Two Gulls locations.
More sales locations are be-

cola. I Ic was a student here before
his police training at the Chipo-
la College and the Tallahassee
Community College Pat Thomas
Law Enforcement Academy. He
made Dean's List and graduat-
ed with top honors before return-
ing to his hometown and training
to become a volunteer firefighter
and police officer.
Officer Croom has been with
the City of Apalachicola Police
for two years. He has goals to be-

project

ing added daily. If your business
would like to volunteer to help
with this very worthy project by
selling calendars, contact Elaine
Kozlowsky, Franklin Needs, Inc.
president, at (850) 670-1671 for
details. You can also contact Ko-
zlowsky to make a tax-deductible
contribution toward helping in
the fight against this frightening
disease in Franklin County.
The only expense taken out
of the $20.00 price of the calen-
dar is the cost of printing. All the
profits from the sale of the calen-
dars will go toward helping can-
cer patients and women who
want to be tested for cancer in
Franklin County.
Other breast cancer fund rais-
ing projects are planned by Frank-
lin Needs, Inc. for the near future.
There will be a booth at the Sea-
food Festival on the first week-
end in November and a Franklin
County Dance for breast cancer
is being organized for October
25th.
Franklin County has ev-
ery reason to be very proud of
these local women who have ac-
complished so much in so short a
time. This small-town effort is al-
ready starting to produce big-city
results and indications are that
the project will continue to grow
and make us proud and Franklin
County women safer. Be sure to
support this effort. When there
are so many people and chari-
ties all over the world crying for
our money, it's nice to be able to
help our own family and support
a homegrown group like this.

come a DEA or FDLE Special
Agent, possibly in drug enforce-
ment or insurance fraud investi-
gations.
When asked why he be-
came a policeman, he respond-
ed that he used to like watching
"CHIPS", and "I really have the
heart to help people." He added
that drugs are a big thing and he
wants to help kids realize the al-
ternatives.

Place to Slay. Building SIev
Foreclourpe Intornllon
Forgotten Coasl Into 4
Reslitaurant Qluid
Community Hprops 83
Things To Do
Tourists Development Council.
Franklin County VWtlor Confters
Unique HontoB-DIecover House
Places to Stay, Building SRv..
Music on the Coast
Forgotten Coast Into 2
Cooking w/Jreny-Waerstreet Hotel
Shopping Guide
TFlRiSrhV i.k. 2

These views are those df Peter Montoya Inc., and not the presenting Represen-
tative or the Representative's Bn ker/Dealei; and should not ba; c nstrud m s in-
vestmtnent advice.
Quote of the week
"Nothing is a waste of time it' you use the ex experience wisely."
Augutiiste Rodin
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac OK?
On Friday, reports that the Treasury Department might act to sta-
bilize either or both mortgage finance giants sent stocks down. Trea-
sury Secretary Henry Paulson said that his department was comnuitted
to "supporting F|annie Mac and Freddie Mac ill their current 10I ll is
they carry out their important mission," reassuring investor's. But their
stocks hit 17-year lows Friday.
Retail sales, inventories rise
US. retail sales gained 2.3% in
the first week of July and 4.3% /I .
June, according to two retail indus-
try performance indexes.?, 3 Mean
while, the Commerce Department .
reported wholesale inventories up "O '"" ..
by 0.8% fotbr May, above the 0.7% Visiting pirates PHOTOBYARLENEOEHLER
median forecast of polled econo-
lmists. Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend members came to the Crooked River
SPending home sales dip Lighthouse park for an ice cream party in the pavilion to play on theyirate
l o nThe National Association of ship plavround and to learn about the history of the rooked River Ligh. t-
SB hRealcors' pending home sales in- hou-se. Tie were accom panied by Marlene Moore, instructor, and bu.s di'v-
Sponsored By Real ors' p ending home s,14% below er Granville Crooms. The kids are: to left-Shaylen Langley; top right-
Peter F Crowell, CFPB dthe June 2007 reading. e, 14% beow Merissa Beasle, McKenzie Linville, Whitney Beasley bottom left--Max
tracks total sales set to close in 30 to 60 days.bel, Austin Cammaranno, Isaiah Barber, Hunter ley, and D can
Trade deficit shrinks 1.2% in May
This good news from the Commerce Department signals that a
cheaper dollar brought export gains even with rising oil prices. Import
prices climbed 2.6% in June, according to the Labor Department
A down week
Volatile oil prices and rumors about mortgage giants didn't help
the market. The big three indices lost between 0.83.-1.14"o on Friday

h* he franklin Chlwnicl' publish-
es classified ads free. Up to two
free ads per telephone number. E-
mail your information to info(a
franklinchronicle.net.
FOR SALE: Giant solid brass and
bronze portholes. The glass is over
half-inch thick. The complete one
is 24 inches with door, very heavy,
priced at $1,500. Smaller one is 19
inches without door and priced at
$650. Both retrieved from the Gulf'
of Mexico. 697-3751, 697-3310,
570-0658.
FOR SALE: 34' Marine Trad-
er, Trawler; 120hp Ford Lehman
diesel; Good Live Aboard; Needs
Work; $5,700. 850-491-3135.
JOBS: miles person needed at The
Fnwklid k Chrniicle. Salary plus com-
mission. Full time or part time.
Flexible work environment. Work
from home or office. Must have
professional demeanor and accept-
able driving record. Call 670-4377
or send your letter of interest and
qualifications by e-mail to salesui
franklinchrticl.nect, or by maul to
PO Box 590, Eastpoint, Fl. 32328.
FOR SALE: G3 aluminum bass
boat, 17.5 feet, 90 two-stroke Ya-

lighthouse, beach, Camp Gordon
Johnston WWII Museum, a po-
tential B&B and the RV park.
Commissioner Sands made
a request pertaining to the nam-
ing of what is now the Sands
Field ballparks. His father was
Dr. George Sands, and his re-
quest is to name the area the Dr.
George L. Sands Memorial Com-
plex. On the property, in addition
to the pond, fountain, walking/
bicycling path and landscaping,
there will be a "playground" area
for children. He also suggested
that the play area be designated
Millender Recreational Park. No
action.
Another item for discussion
at the July 17 workshop will be
our LDR s (Land Development
Regulations). All commissioners
and the P&Z board will attend.

Twenty minutes of time
was spent on the subject of ap-
proval of the first draft of the Wa-
terfronts Florida Plan for Carra-
belle. The document expresses
Carrabelle's plan for use of our
waterfronts (harbor, marsh, riv-
er and bay) under the categories
of historical, conservation, haz-
ard mitigation, public access and
revitalizing the waterfront. The
project will open funding ave-
nues for Carrabelle that would
otherwise not be available. Many
short- and long-range projects re-
quiring much citizen involvement
were detailed. Commissioners
agreed to approve the document
"only as a draft" at this time.
Their hesitation to wholehearted-
ly approve the process seemed to
revolve around 2 things: the mas-
sive amount of work by citizens
which will be required to com-
plete the plans, and the feeling
that the entire population of the
town was not included (read. did
not attend any meetings) in the
plan.

A proposal to rename City
Hall for Marvin Justice (the
builder) was tabled, as was the fu-
ture relationship with WMI trash
collection.
David Butler, new com-
mander of AMVETS in Carra-
belle, presented their search for a
piece of property to place a build-
ing for the use of the 35 associa-
tion member families.
Commissioners approved
extending Mclnnis' contract for
a 3-month term. Then Commis-
sioner Brown started a slight-
ly heated discussion when lie re-
quested that the board advertise
tor a new City Administrator.
In a previous meeting, McInn-
is had suggested that Courtney
Millender, City Clerk, be promot-
ed into the Administrator slot af-
ter a training period. He held the
position prior to his promotion
to City Manager. Commissioner
Sands also maintained that she
should have the job No resolu-
tion.

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of 1.8 million subscribers through 112 Florida newspapers!

The Chronicle can place your advertising into this network.
Please call the paper with the Florida Reach at 850-670-4377, fax
877-423-4964, or e-mail info@franklinchronicle.net.

Woman plays piano for
14 straight hours after using
Thera-Gesic*
BEXAR COUNTY- After applying Thera-Gesic
to her arthritic hands, Mary Ann W. played piano
jazz music for 14 straight hours. When asked
why she played so long, especially since she never
took lessons nor played piano before, she painless-
ly replied, "None of your dang business!"
Go p'"esy wit'/ Therm-Gesi

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BEFORE THEY STOP YOU.

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I

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

July 18, 2008 Page 17

The Franklin Chronicle

20 candidates attend St. George forum

BY HARRIETT BEACH
Chronicle Correspondent
A crowd of approximately
150 people turned out to hear 20
candidates make their presenta-
tions at the 2008 Political Candi-
date Forum sponsored by the St.
George Island Civic Club on July
9th.
The Forum began at 6 p.m.
with five minute presentations by
each candidate, .
The first session began with
four candidates running for the
positions of County Commis-
sion, District 1, followed by three
candidates for State House of
Representative, District 10, and
then followed by three candidates
for District 1 School Board.
After the first presentation
there was a half hour break for
time to visit with tile candidates
and enjoy a soda or water. Dur-
ing the break Judge Kevin Dav-

ey, candidate up for reelection
for the Second Judicial Circuit,
Group 3, Franklin County, intro-
duced himself but did not make a
presentation. After the break the
second set of candidates made
their presentations. The session
began with two running for Prop-
erty Appraiser, three running for
Sheriff, and ended with four run-
ning for Superintendent of Frank-
lin County Schools,
All of the presentations were
unique as the candidates intro-
duced themselves and presented
their reasons for seeking their de-
sired office. Several stressed the
length of time they have lived in
Franklin County and their family
and religious ties here. Some told
of how they would make chang-
es to better serve the residents of
Franklin County. Other candi-
dates discussed the skills they per-
ceived necessary to be successful

in the office they were seeking
and presented their educational
credentials. One candidate even
sang to the audience. In all the
presentations were very helpful in
understanding how well the can-
didates probably would fill the of-
fices they were seeking.
The break time was also very
helpful in that talking one on one
with a candidate provided time
bfor questions and answers. The
candidates handed out litera-
ture about themselves and the of-
lice they were seeking plus nov-
eity items embossed with their
names and office so voters would
remember them at election time.
Very few people left the meet-
ing as the energy level was high
with so many conversations and
information being exchanged.
The Franklin County Supervisor
of Elections provided a handout
of a listing of all the local candi-

After all the presentations
the crowd remained until almost
10 p.m. talking. A visitor to SGI
watched the crowd disperse and
asked why so many people were
at the Fire Hall. When told that
there had been a Political Can-
didate Forum held there said, "I
wish my community would hold
a Forum like that."

Firefighters support Curtis for state House

State House District 10 can-
didate Don Curtis recently re-
ceived the endorsement of the
Florida Professional Firefighters.
an organization which includes
23,000 firefighters and emergen-
cy medical personnel statewide.
Bob Carver, the Executive
Director for the FPF, said Cur-
tis "will honorably serve the cit-
izens of Florida, and the inter-
ests of the men and women in
the Fire and Emergency Medical
Services, who have made the pro-

section of life and property their
life's work."
Don Curtis spent 7 years
as the Assistant Director for the
state Division of Forestry, over-
seeing approximately 1100 state
employees. During this time, he
fought hard to increase pay and
get better equipment for the men
and women who lay their lives on
the line in firefighting, humcane
relief, and responding to other
natural disasters
"I'm no stranger to wild-

fire management and getting in
the thick of disaster response to
help keep folks safe," says Cur-
tis. "I know what it takes to main-
tain an operation of well-trained
personnel in times of crisis and
what to do when the going gets
tough."
Rodney Durbin, President of
the Florida State Fire Service As-
sociation, represents firefighters
employed by the state of Florida,
covering five state agencies with
many personnel who live with-

in District 10. Durbin observed,
"Don Curtis has the breath and
depth of knowledge and experi-
ence, which will best serve the cit-
izens of District 10 and the state
of Florida."
Don Curtis is President of
The Forestry Company. His firm
provides forestry services to pub-
lic and private landowners in
North Florida, including all ten
counties 'in House District 10.
Curtis is also a prescribed burn
manager and certified wildland

firefighter, and a former volun-
teer fireman. His company part-
ners with the state Division of
Forestry to help contain wildfires
in North Florida. Most notably,
Curtis and his employees helped
the state in containing the notori-
ously dangerous Bugaboo fire in
Columbia County last summer.
The district includes Columbia,
Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson,
Taylor, Wakulla, Franklin, Levy,
Dixie, and Alachua.

Two budget workshops

coming up this month

BY HARRIETT BEACH
Chronicle Correspondent
Allan Feifer, President of the
Concerned Citizens of Frank-
lin County Inc., told the County
Commissioners at their July 15th
meeting that the Budget Work-
shops scheduled for July 23rd
and 24th had not been adequate-
ly advertised so that County resi-
dents could attend.
Many people did not know
where the Workshops would be
held. Noah Locklcy Jr., Chair-
man of the Board. said the Work-
shops would be held in the Court-
house Annex beginning at 9 a.m.
on both days. The Board did
not anticipate that many people
would be interested in attending.
Feifer pointed out that with
the reduction of County and
State revenues there would be big
cut backs in both the governmen-
tal and non-governmental bud-
gets that will effect many people.
Feifer said that Franklin County
citizens should be very much in-
terested what is covered and what
is not covered in the proposed
budget.
Marcia Johnson gave the
Commissioners their Budget
workbooks and instructions for
the Workshops on July 23rd and
24th.
Johnson told the Board,
"The proposed budget has been
developed in accordance with the
guidelines that the board has gen-
erated over the past few months,
and has been generated using the
best available data provided by
the state on its revenue sharing
estimates.
"Since the Board indicated
that it did not want to raise tax-

es, and this year's budget does
not raise taxes This year's budget
has a lower tax base, and a low-
er millage rate as submitted. The
proposed budget by the County
Commission is fiscally respon-
sible, but the public needs to be
aware while the County is pro-
viding a lower millage rate, it has
no power over what other taxing
authorities do.
"This year's budget has been
developed as a total package. The
proposed budget reflects what
was turned in the various depart-
ments and constitutional offices
keeping the Commissioner's di-
rectives in mind.
"This year's budget repre-
sents a concerted effort by the
Finance Office to present to the
Board and the public all of the
funds the Board is responsible
for. Some of the funds have re-
ceived various amounts of rev-
enue through the years and the
board needs to provide direction
on the utilization of the funds. As
an example, the Board has been
accumulating money in Capi-
tal Outlay to build a facility for
County offices. The Capital Out-
lay fund now has approximately
$880,000. The Board needs to de-
cide relatively shortly at a County
Commission meeting how those
funds will be spent.
"The Board had been accu-
mulating funds received from
state pari-mutual wagering to pay
off the jail bonds. The funds re-
ceived were greater than the re-
maining debt, so the bonds were
paid off and over $500,000 will
be transferred into the County

paving program for the new year.
The Board also budgeted more
money in road paving for the Alli-
gator Point Grant match require-
ment relying on documents sub-
mitted. The county paving fund
now has approximately $4 mil-
lion. The Board needs to develop
a road paving program to utilize
those funds."
Johnson finished by remind-
ing the Board and public of the
scheduled budget Workshops on
Wednesday, July 23, and Thurs-
day, July 24, beginning at 9:00
a.m. in the Courthouse Annex.

BY ANNA CARMICHAEL
Chronicle Correspondent'
The Three Servicemen Stat-
ue dedication held on July 12th,
in Apalachicola at Veteran's Me-
morial Plaza was not hindered by
the threat of rain. Prideful Amer-
icans, young and old, sonime weary
from travel, some nervous from
a dream that began 7 years ago,
some hot and some in awe, were
all sheltered under an unseen um-
brella that contained the "proud
to be an American" feeling that
was felt by everyone. The sun
was beaming proudly in rays that
streaked through the dull gray of
threatening rain clouds. But the
sun shined on the celebration and
made it a memorable affair.
Harry Buzzett, retired Army
Colonel, summed it up in his
speech Saturday morning when
he said, "We should all acknowl-
edge that Jimmy Mosconis pur-
sued his dream with energy, in-
telligence, tenacity and devo-
tion. We owe him a great, great
thanks." Col. Buzzett added, "I
know when I visit this statue with
my grandchildren, I'll remember
the fallen from all the wars that
have allowed us to live freely in
this land."
Jimmy Mosconis' dream
began 7 years ago. It is because
of Mosconis that this beautiful
bronze partial replica, created
from the original molds used for
the 'llhree Servicemen Statue and
part of the Vietnam Veterans Me.
moral in Washington. PC has
found its home in Ap.ilachico.
la. Mosconts. founder and pres-
ident of Three Servicemen Stat-
ue South, Inc was the master of
ceremonies at the dedication. lie
was an Army staff sergeant who
was in Vietnam in 1968-69. Dur-
ing his speech. Saturday, Mosco-
nis said. "I am pleased with the
enthusiastic support we've re-
ceived from members of the com-
munity. It is an honor to have the
only replica of this famous statue
in our town. and it is an honor we
would not have received without
the dedication of everyone here."
Most of the funds raised for
the statue were through local
small donations, donated labor.
and endless efforts of hundredsof
individuals and businesses. The
Three Servicemen Statue South.
Inc. was.created to raise the nec-
essary funds to bring the statue to
sit atop its beautiful black gran-
ite pedestal. It is the centerpiece
of the commemorative redbrick
paved walkway of the new plaza
that was given as a gift from the
City of Apalachicola.
During the dedication, the
flag was raised by Armed Forces
Color Guard, Tyndall Air Force
Base in Panama City. Local lady
of the community, Sharon Phi-

lyaw, sang our National Anthem
and the Pledge of Allegiance was
led by Cadet Derek T. Brown, US
Military Academy, West Point,
New York.
Invocation was given by
Charles Scott, Chaplain and
American Legion Post 106 mem-
ber. Eugenia Watkins read a let-
ter from former First Lady, Nan-
cy Reagan. The letter stated that
Mrs. Reagan remembered that
her first time seeing the original
statue was "an important and
moving memorial" for she and
President Reagan.
Bob Simmons, President and
CEO of FedEx National LTL,
Lakeland, Florida, made the
transport of the statue possible.
The three bronze soldiers began
their journey from Long Island,
NY, in late June and traveled in
a 28-foot trailer before arriving at
their destination. They were lone
occupants on the trip and they
were packed in three crates and
secured with airbags and bracing
to ensure their safety. Shipping
services were donated by FedEx
National LTL.
Lindy Lain Hart, wife
of Sculptor Fredrick Hart
(1943-1999), was among the fea-
tured speakers and in her speech
she told of her late husband's de-
sires that the sculpture be a Na-
tional Cathedral. In his last
speech in May of 1999. Mr. Hart
said. "As I worked I felt it was ur-
gent that future generations see
what characterized and empha-
sized the average age of the sol.
diers, which was 19 years old."
lie said he wanted "to show the
expressions of intensive strain
and anguish that was felt on the
battlefield and upon the soldiers
return home. Mr. Hart wanted
"the statue to show a very impor-
tant aspect found in all vets. and
the all treasured deep bonds of
brother-ship and the feeling that
was shared by all soldiers of when
they fought, they not only fought
for Americans, but for each oth-
er as well." Mrs. Hart concluded
with her husbands' words, "Pub-
lic art can serve no higher pur-
pose."
Col. Buzzett entertained the
audience with stories of war, not
only in Vietnam, but many other
places. Founder and President of
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Fund in Washington, D.C., Jan
Scruggs, enlightened all with his
tale of rescue by Jimmy Mosco-
nis' party while in Vietnam. "I
thought I'd never sec him again,"
said Scruggs. But in 1982. they
were reunited by chance in Wash-
ington where they shared memo-
ries of Vietnam.
Other delights of the dedica-
tion were Amazing Grace, heard
played on bagpipes. The three

A LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER

July 18, 2008 Page 19

The Franklin Chronicle

man kilt wearing group is from
Mexico Beach and simply named
Bagpipers. Mitch Bouington, Bu-
gler from Port St. Joe, ended the
ceremony with Taps played from
the balcony of the beautiful Or-
man I louse and Gardens that is
in the background of the Plaza.
And then, the slow drizzle of
rain began to fall, as though they
were the tears of all the fallen sol-
diers from past and present, com-
forting us still, or saying thanks,
with the cool drops.
Mosconis reflects on
project
Saturday's event is the real-
ization of a 7-year dream of Jim-
my Mosconis. In a recent inter-
view, he said, "I want to make it
perfectly clear to everyone that
not one person was paid any
money or salary in order for this
to happen. I can't tell you the
enormous number of volunteers
and hours volunteered to achieve
this." He gave a special thanks to
Ella, his wife, "she really stepped
up and did a lot to help, especial-
ly when it was getting close."
Mosconis clarified that this
replica in Apalachicola will be
the only replica, contrary to an
earlier plan for there to be five.
No where else in the world will
have one.
He also said that in the cen-
ter of the black granite pedestal
of the statue there is concrete.
While the concrete was being
poured he put pieces of personal
memorabilia from Vietnam. Peb-
bles and stones and partial fand
bag from an actual battle field are
some of the items buried there.
He said that a few days prior
to the dedication, Tyndall AFB
flew the flag that was raised Sat-
urday over the plaza, a service
they do for a lot of occasions.
They were also responsible for
the surprise flight and boom over
the plaza during the dedication.
Only Mosconis knew that would
happen.
On the back of the program
provided to all attending the ded-
ication is a phrase that signifies
and identifies the residents of this
community. It reads, "this statue
has drawn together the resourc-
es of communities all across
America. Apalachicola is typical
of such places, small cities and
towns that bled a lot during the
Vietnam War, places that gave so
many of their sons to that war."
Still, money is needed to fin-
ish paying for the statue. To make
donations or dedicate a brick pav-
er, visit www.threeservicemen-
tatuesouth.og. T-shirts can be
purchased at Coastal Communi-
ty Bank. Ask for Linda. The price
of the shirts is $20. Cash dona-
tions are also accepted.